The Adventures and Perils of Sasuke and 'Sasuke-chan'
by Itachiforever342
Summary: Reimagined version of "Two Sides of the Same Coin". Sasuke was born a single child, but after the Uchiha Genocide...he has a twin? Are they exactly the same? Hungry for revenge? Or is this new Sasuke crazier than the first?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto will never be mine, so you can't sue me!

After a lot of thought, I decided to post this, for all those who felt gypped when it came to the ending of "Two Sides of the Same Coin".

I hope everyone enjoys this!

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**The Adventures and Perils of Sasuke and Sasuke-chan**

"They are virtually identical, Sandaime-sama," a medical ninja explained, as the Hokage stood over the twin hospital beds that held not one, but _two_ Sasukes. "Last night, we found the boy amidst the carnage in the Uchiha Compound, but this morning, there were two boys in the bed. The only thing I could find even slightly different about them is their stress level. While both of them are under a great deal of stress, one of them is through the roof, as if something dreadful has occurred very recently. That one might wake up screaming or something, so I decided to try and keep him relaxed by injecting a mild sedative, not to keep him asleep, just to keep him from having a mental breakdown."

"I will have to give them separate records and they will have to have different names, but until they awaken—"

One of the heart monitors began speeding up, signaling that the boy connected to it was awakening.

"Which one is this one?"

"This one is the one without any sedation. I was thinking he would wake first."

The first Sasuke sat up, blinking a little before he realized who was standing in front of him. He bowed a little in respect. "Hokage-sama."

"Uchiha Sasuke, how are you feeling?"

"All right, I guess…"

"Something terrible must've happened to you last night, but I won't ask for details at this moment in time. Just that now you seemed to have split into two separate bodies."

Sasuke's eyes widened before he followed the Hokage's eyes to the other bed. "There's two of me…I have a twin now?"

"Yes. While you seem normal, this other Sasuke might be a little more unstable because something more must've happened to him last night in addition to what already had transpired."

The other heart monitor began speeding up as well, but much faster, and kept going until the second Sasuke woke up, screaming like he was being tortured. His eyes were lit up in Sharingan, but a Sharingan that not even the Hokage had seen in his entire life. He clutched his head and shook it, before, just as suddenly as he'd woken, his body relaxed and his eyes turned to their normal black. He gasped a little from his shrieking, but his face was calmer than even his twin's. A contented smile came to his lips even if his body was trembling a little still.

"Are you all right, son?" the Sandaime asked, concerned for the boy's mental stability.

Their eyes met and the eight-year-old nodded. "I'm okay, Hokage-sama…" He mouthed something before hugging himself a little. "I already miss him…"

The first Sasuke blinked in confusion. "Who?"

The two faced each other for the first time and the second Sasuke tilted his head a little. "Who are you? Are you an illusion, or a transformation?"

The Sandaime Hokage shook his head and laid his wrinkled hand on the boy's head. "This is a technique even I don't know about. But instead of one Sasuke, there are two. Each of you is real and individual, even if you look exactly alike and have the same latent abilities. Now, for you, who have awoken second, you need a new name. You cannot have the exact same name, even though you'll probably answer to the same name for a while. Since you seem a little on the shy side, your name will be Ryo."

The newly-dubbed "Ryo" nodded, fidgeting a little. He knew that his gentle, loving elder brother had fooled his new twin because of his rather broken expression, yet he'd promised, with the trade of having his painful ocular technique silenced until he had enough chakra to sustain it, was his silence on the subject. He wouldn't say a thing or else things might not work for the better for his twin, even if it might lead to more pain.

"You both seem troubled, it must be because of the incident that occurred last night. The exact details are not known, but you seem to have different views on the outcome. You might've experienced something after you were split in two."

Ryo averted his eyes while Sasuke shook his head.

"I won't force it out of you, since you aren't ninjas yet, but should something come of it, I'll require a full report on my desk."

Both boys nodded, before the Sandaime turned to Ryo. "Ryo-san, you'll have to change your style of dress so that you don't look exactly like your twin. What would you like to have as your new wardrobe? I'll have one of the nurses deliver it to you this afternoon."

"Um…I've always wanted to try the color baby blue for my short-sleeved shirt, and…pure white shorts…"

"Anything else?"

"I…always thought they were too girly, but…a plain chain necklace with a pendant that's the Uchiha symbol…"

"That should suit you. I'll place the order right away and you'll be walking out of the hospital with your new clothes soon."

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama."

The old man exited the room, before Sasuke turned to his new twin. "How did you get Sharingan like that?"

Ryo fidgeted, shaking his head. "I don't have it anymore."

"Liar. I know your facial expressions because they're mine. Did Nii-san do it to you?"

"No."

"Then who did?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"I promised."

"Promised who?"

"I can't tell you."

Sasuke growled a little before slumping and falling back onto his pillow. "You're as stubborn as I am, so it must've happened when we were separated last night. It has to be really important if you promised whoever did it to you that you wouldn't tell. You seem more at peace than I feel. Why are you calm while I'm boiling with confusion, hatred, anger and sadness? How can you be when Nii-san slaughtered everyone in the clan, including Tou-san and Ka-san?! HOW?!"

Ryo opened his mouth, before shaking his head. "I can't tell you. Just know that…I can't tell you that either… I'll probably be able to tell you in due time, Sasuke. For now, you cannot know anything I found out last night when I came into existence."

Sasuke scoffed, "This has blackmail written all over it. You're keeping silent or else something'll gonna happen to you. Admit it."

"Yes Sasuke, that much I can tell you."

They were silent until the nurse came in with Ryo's new outfit, the boy hopping out of bed and taking it. He went to the bathroom and got dressed, taming his hair so it spiked more gracefully, before meeting his brother just outside the hospital room. They didn't say a thing as they walked out, heading to the Uchiha Compound. While Sasuke mourned the lost people, Ryo found happy memories in the untouched spots.

"Do you remember when we stopped and looked at the dandelions along this fence when we went out shopping with Nii-san? That wonder I felt at seeing such beautiful yellow flowers even though they were common weeds is a precious memory to me. Back when things were simple, even if we're only eight years old. With one night, our maturity has raised to that of an adult because of Nii-san."

He ran along the bloodstained streets as if nothing had changed, smiling like the child he was. "I remember when we injured our ankle trying to copy a kunai move Nii-san had mastered and he carried us home. I felt such warmth being so close to Nii-san—"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Sasuke screamed. "ARE YOU _BLIND_?! BECAUSE OF THAT…THAT BASTARD! ALL OF OUR PRECIOUS MEMORIES WITH HIM ARE PAINFUL! THE FEELINGS OF HAPPINESS, WONDER AND WARMTH ARE _WORTHLESS_ COMPARED TO GETTING REVENGE FOR OUR CLAN! FOR TOU-SAN AND KA-SAN! WE HAVE TO _HATE_ NII-SAN FOR EVERYTHING HE'S DONE! OR ELSE WE WILL NEVER BE STRONG ENOUGH!"

Silence.

"Sasuke, you might feel the need to avenge our clan, but I can't. The path of revenge is something you'll have to walk alone."

Ryo turned and headed out of the compound, Sasuke staring after him, confused by his sage-like words.

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So already the two differ from each other... What could Ryo have been told that could've changed his perspective so drastically?

All that will be answered in later chapters, of course!

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Naruto will never be mine, so suing is not for any of you!

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The next day, when Sasuke went to the academy, he wasn't surprised to see that Ryo had been enrolled. Their teacher, Iruka, placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and announced, "We have a new student joining us. His name is Uchiha Ryo."

There were murmurs throughout the class about how much he looked like Sasuke. All the students looked to Sasuke, then to Ryo, shocked by the similarities. Was he a cousin? A brother? A twin?

"Settle down class, settle down. We'll be studying transforming into people for this next week, so expect a test on it."

There were groans throughout the class, and for the rest of the day, it was distracting to everyone that Ryo and Sasuke did things exactly the same, down to the last detail, at least physically. Their reactions to things were complete opposites. When praised, Sasuke merely nodded, while Ryo smiled shyly and fidgeted. When faced with fan girls, Sasuke ignored the attention while Ryo got flustered.

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This pattern continued through the years they trained together, if not getting more extreme in contrast. Sasuke was the most stoic and cocky boy in the class, while Ryo was shy, gentle and quietly confident. They were both quiet, but for different reasons. Ryo tried to be friends with even those who hated him, while Sasuke treated everyone the same, with cold indifference. On the day of the time they would find out which teacher they would get, Ryo entered the room just after Ino and Sakura, the two girls searching for Sasuke. He shifted his weight a little as he gathered the courage to greet them, the prettiest pair in the entire class.

"Hey there, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan."

They turned and Ino actually had the audacity to point and laugh. "Nice look for you, 'Teme'!"

On each cheek, the word "teme" had been written. He'd been mistaken for his twin yet again and while being held down by some bullies had had the prank done. He lowered his head and murmured, "It won't come off…"

Sakura, who took pity on the boy, asked, "Have you tried washing it off?"

"Yeah…that's why my cheeks are so red…"

"Ryo-teme! Ryo-teme!" Ino teased. "You dork! You might fool other people, you aren't nearly as cool as Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto, who heard this teasing, stomped over and shouted, "Hey Ino! Quit picking on my friend! We're best buddies and if you mess with him, you mess with me!"

Sakura went to Iruka, who'd seen the teasing going on just as Naruto stepped in to defend the shier Uchiha. "Iruka-sensei, someone drew on Ryo-kun's face with permanent marker. Do you have something to wash it off with?"

"Sure, Sakura. Here's some cleaning solution. Have Naruto go to the bathroom with him to remove it."

"Thanks, sensei!"

Naruto took the often-bullied boy to the restroom and growled, "Why don't you teach those losers a lesson, Ryo? You know they're just kids that never passed the final exam and they're mad you did. You tied with Sasuke for top marks! Be tough, like me!"

"I don't like hurting people unless it's worth it…"

"So you're saving it for training and missions?"

"Yeah."

Ryo yelped as he got some of the cleaner in his eyes. He dunked his head in the sink and ran the water, tears running down his face along with the water to try and flush out the harmful substance. He shook his head as he turned the water off.

Naruto held out a towel. "Here, Ryo."

"Thanks, Naruto."

He turned away from the mirror and dried his face, tears still gathering in his eyes as he lowered the towel and opened his eyes. Naruto gasped and stepped back, pointing. Ryo blinked and asked, "What?"

"Y-your eyes are red!"

"Of course they are, I got that stuff in and it's irritating them."

"No! Look!" Naruto insisted, turning him around to face the mirror again.

Ryo stared into the mirror and his eyes widened. "It…it can't be…"

"What are they, Ryo?"

"Sharingan…the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan…"

"That's cool! What do they do?!"

"Many things, but mostly copy other techniques…"

"Come on, we have to show Iruka-sensei!"

"But—"

Naruto pulled him into the classroom, announcing, "Iruka-sensei, Ryo got red eyes from the bathroom!"

The Chunin teacher smiled in concern and waved the boy over. "Now look up and I'll put some drops in your eyes to soothe them."

Ryo did as asked, his eyes still watering from the irritation. Iruka paused for a moment and then instructed, "Don't blink, or else I'll have to try again."

"Okay, sensei."

As the older ninja leaned close to aim, he murmured, "Can you turn off your Sharingan?"

"I tried cutting off my chakra, but it doesn't seem to want to," Ryo whispered back.

"This is impossible for a normal twelve-year-old of your clan, right?"

"Yes, but even I don't know why it won't turn off."

"Then you might have to wear contact lenses to not arouse suspicion or something similar, but not until this meeting is over."

"Okay, sensei."

Ryo blinked a little after the eye drops were put in before he turned and walked to his seat, Sasuke's eyes locked on his. The second twin tried to ignore his brother's glare, since there was nothing he could do about it. He knew the technique forced on him would appear, but not this suddenly after being sealed for four years. He must have enough to keep it active, but when he would have the ability to use what Madara had called "Eternal Mangekyo" would have to be discovered through training and time. He wouldn't risk it when he was sure that he had just enough chakra for the Sharingan to be active continually, but that took a lot of chakra, especially with three tomoes in each eye.

What he was more concerned about right now was Sasuke's jealousy, since not only had he awakened the Sharingan first, but it was already at its highest point, without killing your best friend and gaining the Mangekyo. He rested his chin on his hand, watching as all of the Genin save him were called to a team. Naruto was ticked off, of course, because Sasuke was placed on his team instead of Ryo.

"Why can't Ryo be placed on our team instead of Sasuke-teme?! I don't like him!"

"This is what Hokage-sama has chosen for our teams, Naruto. There's no switching."

"Then why hasn't Ryo been assigned to a team?!"

"That is for the Sandaime to decide. Uchiha Ryo, Hokage-sama wishes to see you personally for your team placement, since you were placed into the class later than usual."

Ryo nodded. "Of course, Iruka-sensei."

He walked to the Hokage Tower, people staring at his Sharingan since he was a Genin and no one had seen an active Sharingan in both eyes since the Uchiha Genocide. He hurried up to the Hokage's office, knocking.

"Enter."

He pushed the door open, before bowing. "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, Ryo-kun. I'm assigning you to a special teacher that can hone your skills better than anyone."

Out of nowhere, an ANBU in a black cloak appeared, a fox mask all that was visible under the hood.

"This is Fox, your instructor. By the time the Chunin Exams come up, you'll be plenty prepared, considering you have full-fledged normal Sharingan already. Now, you will do plenty of missions on your own or with other Genin teams, but you cannot breathe a word about who your instructor is. I leave him to you, Fox."

Fox placed a hand on the Genin's shoulder and the pair traveled to a clearing that Ryo had never seen before. He looked around before focusing back on his teacher, who he knew nothing about. "Fox-sensei, what kind of training are you going to give me?"

"I'm going to train you in fire techniques and that of the Sharingan. Uchiha techniques."

"But how could you—unless…"

A black-gloved hand took off the fox mask.

Ryo gasped.

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Three guesses on who it could be! The first two don't count.

What's happened to Ryo will be explained in later chapters, along with how he came into existence.

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, so none of you can sue me!

I got a review from an anonymous reviewer, so I'll answer it here: BINGO!

Ryo's now going to be in the Chunin Exams! What kinds of things did he learn from his mysterious mentor?

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The Chunin Exams rolled around, and Ryo, who now had on a different outfit than before, was selected to take it. His hair, which had grown in six months, was tied in a short ponytail at the base of his skull. He wore a white visor over his eyes that didn't reflect light that he could see through but not the other way around. His hitae-ate was tied at his forehead, the cloth black, his long bangs framing his face. He wore gloves that nearly reached his armpits, his shirt the usual Uchiha but with mesh for the capped sleeves and collar, his normal necklace hanging at the hollow of his throat so it wouldn't catch on anything. Pants only slightly baggy for flexibility went down to his ankles, tucked into his ninja sandals. He wore metal arm guards and shin guards, appearing to be an ANBU-in-training. All his clothes were jet black, sucking in any light. His chosen weapon was a wakizashi strapped to his back, but he had a waist pouch of whatever else he needed and a leg holster for shuriken.

His face was carefully neutral (what could be seen of it) as he walked through the hallways of the academy to the designated classroom. He walked with a grace that even ninjas from refined families noticed. When he stopped at a place where two tough Genin were beating away other Genin, he saw through the illusion and went on, only for a voice to stop him.

"You there, what's your name?"

Ryo turned and his eyes did the ninja a quick once over. Neji Hyuga, of the branch family, thirteen, one of the tougher Genin for this year's exam. Teammates with Tenten, a weapons specialist and Rock Lee, a taijutsu specialist. Jonin-sensei Gai Maito, also a taijutsu specialist. The Uchiha boy didn't even acknowledge the older boy beyond seeing who he was, in fact, he turned away and began walking again.

"I asked you a question, kid!"

Of course, he sensed the attack, being taught by an ANBU who was formerly a captain. He used his arm to block, Neji's ninja sandal meeting the metal plate of the arm guard. He turned to the side and murmured so only his attacker could hear, "I have no need to give my name, if you do not have the courtesy to give yours first."

Lee placed a hand on his teammate's arm. "Neji, we should save our strength for the exam. He doesn't want to give any information, so we can't force any out of him."

Neji jumped back, and Ryo lowered his arm, nodding to the pair of them before beginning to head to the third floor. When he reached the stairs that headed up, he heard a familiar voice call, "Hey, kid!"

He turned to see Team Seven, his brother in the center. Sasuke smirked and observed, "You look strong. Care for a small match before the exam starts?"

Naruto growled and protested, "Why do you have to challenge the strong guys to a fight, teme?! It's not fair that you get all the attention and opportunities! I wanna go first this time!"

Sasuke's eyes lit up in Sharingan, two tomoes in each eye as he snorted. "Fine, dobe. You can go first, but don't blame me if your butt gets handed to you."

Sakura looked Ryo over, who didn't even get into a fighting stance. She noticed he held himself at the ready, but not to alert his opponent when he was going to strike. She'd missed her old friend who was always so quiet and gentle, trying to see him in his twin, but couldn't find him. She searched for Ryo, the Uchiha who had truly stolen her attention from the start. When she'd had a crush on Sasuke, it had been for his looks and stoic attitude, but when she'd met Ryo, she'd secretly formed a new, deeper affection for him. She could tell that he would be good to her if she got the guts to admit she liked him, if she could find him again. He'd mysteriously disappeared after being called the Hokage's office, although most of the Genin teams of their year reported seeing him or having him help during their missions. She herself hadn't even caught a glimpse of him, but there were rumors spreading that he had a very good teacher.

Naruto rushed at Ryo, who calculated his friend's trajectory before dodging smoothly, almost looking like he hadn't moved at all. The blonde landed face-first into the floor, groaning as he struggled to get up. The dark-haired ANBU apprentice turned fully to Sasuke, before gesturing to his brother to come at him. He didn't care if he fought two opponents at once, Fox-sensei often used Shadow Clones to simulate multiple enemies. His training was far from over, but he was progressing faster than his twin, obviously. Then again, he was already at the point of using his Eternal Mangekyo for short periods of time.

Sasuke charged less haphazardly than his teammate, but to Ryo's eyes, he was still slow and predictable. He blocked all his punches and kicks with his arm and shin guards, the metal causing bruises. He didn't initiate any attacks, dodging Naruto without a second thought. His eyes narrowed as Sasuke got frustrated and jumped back, beginning to do hand signs. With the second one in the sequence revealed to his eyes, Ryo used a Body Flicker to appear behind his twin, grabbing his wrists and forcing his hands apart.

"We don't need to use ninjutsu inside a building mostly made out of wood. That attack is very hazardous in the first place, so please, refrain. Our fight is over, since there is only ten minutes until the start of the exam. Good day, Uchiha Sasuke."

Before Sasuke could recover from his shock, Ryo jumped to the balcony overlooking the area where the fight had commenced before turning to the frazzled Team Seven and nodding to them. He then headed to the doors which led to the room where the exam was to be held. Fox-sensei stood there, nodding to him in acknowledgment. He placed a hand on his shoulder before murmuring, "Be wary, and do not use it unless you have no other choice."

"Yes, Fox-sensei."

"You are allowed to enter the exam."

"Thank you."

He pushed the doors open and glanced over all the Genin who filled the classroom, including Team Eight and Team Ten. Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru sitting on his head, grinned at his entrance. "Hey look, we've got a single guy entering the exam! Looks like a younger kid like us!"

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Ino, who was equally as loud, called, "Hey kid! Where are you from?"

Ryo turned his head and the blonde blushed. "Wow, from what I can see of his face, he's a hottie! And he's from here! Do I know you, gorgeous?"

He nodded, but didn't say anything.

Ino squealed, running over to him, as her teammates, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, rolled their eyes at her antics.

"How troublesome, Ino's already latched herself onto the unknown 'handsome' ninja," Shikamaru groaned, sighing deeply.

"Ino will do what she wants, Shikamaru. I thought she was trying to get her hooks in Sasuke," Choji added in around a bite of chips. "She sure is fickle."

"Can I be your girlfriend, my handsome prince?" she purred, reaching to put her arms around his upper arm.

He smoothly dodged and shook his head. "I'm sorry, now is not the time for that Yamanaka Ino, perhaps in a place that is not meant for seriousness."

She pouted, tilting her hips just as Team Seven entered, Sakura spotting her blonde rival and popping veins at the sight of her flirting already with the mysterious Genin. "Stay away from him, Ino-pig! He's clearly not interested!"

Ino whirled and snapped back, "You don't know that, Forehead! He just told me not now!"

"That's _clearly_ a rejection, Ino-pig! Now butt out!"

"You two," a low, calm voice reprimanded. "You should look around you, before being so noisy."

Ryo had already noticed how all the other Genin were sending death glares at the rookie Genin, himself not included. Ino and Sakura quieted down, before the Rookie Ten turned to the newcomer.

"So who are you?" Naruto asked, interested in the pale-haired, glasses-wearing Genin.

"Yakushi Kabuto. This is my fourth time being in the Chunin Exams, so I know how everything goes. I have a deck of cards that I've made that react with chakra about everything there is to know about the applicants, how many there are, where they come from, and other statistics."

Sasuke stepped forward with a smirk on his face. "I want to know about _him_." He pointed at Ryo, who was leaning casually against the wall on the other side of the doors.

"Since you don't have a name, it's a little more difficult to procure the information…" He took out a card, twirling it around three times before the information appeared. "Let's see, he's very skilled in all the fields for a Genin, his mentor is an ANBU that goes by the name 'Fox', no teammates, from Konohagakure no Sato obviously—"

"What's his _name_?!" Sasuke demanded, eyes burning in anger.

"Hmmm…it says here that it won't be announced until a later date. Perhaps you should ask the boy yourselves, if he is inclined to do so."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and turned to Ryo, who didn't move from his relaxed position or reacted to his twin's glare. He was quite used to it by now, although not the ferocity.

"You know about me, my name, so what's _your_ name?"

Ryo crossed his arms and looked away, blatantly mocking his brother.

Naruto snorted. "You just got ignored, teme! How do _you_ like it?"

"Shut up, dobe."

Before the blue-eyed ninja could reply, the exam started.

* * *

Before all of you throw a fuss about certain things about Ryo's powers, it will be explained later, so please, be patient.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, so I can't have any legal action done to me!

Sorry everyone for the late update, I went to Otakon for the first time this year! *jumps up and down* It was really fun, so I'm in a great mood right now!

* * *

The first exam was a joke to Ryo. Being taught by an ANBU had its benefits intelligence-wise as well, so he knew nearly every question and those he didn't know he used Sharingan to find them out, very accurate with his aim so he got his answers quickly, before meditating until the so-called "dreaded" tenth question was sprung on them. He passed because for him it wasn't really a choice because he was only risking himself for he had no teammates.

He had to admit, Ibiki Morino was a master at torture, even though in this instance it was purely mental. He would hate to be any criminal when he was the interrogator. He smiled at the Jonin and headed out to the next location for the second exam. His eyes stayed on the next proctor, Anko Mitarashi.

When she explained the conditions of the exam, he took them in without any questions. It seemed simple enough: get a scroll from another team and head to the tower, all within five days. With just himself to protect, it would be unproblematic, especially since stealing the scroll would be easier than fighting for it. He would get done in record time if he targeted the right team. He didn't have to even think about signing the form and heading to the booth that they were handing out scrolls to teams. He was given an Earth scroll, which he tucked away.

The exam started without a hitch, Ryo targeting a team very easily, using his Body Flicker to get behind them, checking for their scroll. When he found that it was a Heaven scroll, he nodded and smiled at his luck, tucking it away in a different spot than the other scroll. He began to head to the tower, afternoon coming as he felt a strong chakra flare, much stronger than a Genin's should be. His curiosity got the better of him, so he traveled over there, appearing in the higher branches of a tree over what seemed to be a heated battle. His eyes widened at how fast Team Seven was being beaten. He watched the ninja they were fighting, who he recognized as the one who had "handed" the kunai to Anko with her tongue. Naruto fell first, knocked out by a technique he didn't recognize. Sakura was ignored as Sasuke fought with all his strength, something that Ryo had never seen before, even in the memories that he shared with his brother.

When it seemed as though Sasuke had won the fight, the not-Genin's neck stretched out like a snake's body and with sharp fangs, _bit_ straight into the back of the boy's neck. A dark mark appeared that seemed almost like the three tomoes of Sharingan, before Sasuke collapsed, holding the mark as if it burned. He screamed, Sakura trying to comfort him as the kunoichi's single _yellow_ eye locked on Ryo. The Genin felt fear drop into his stomach like a bowl of icicles, and he made the symbol to use his Body Flicker, only to sense the ninja's presence behind him. He whirled and jumped back as a death-white hand tore the half-melted face off to reveal a face that Fox had warned him to use any means to get away from: the face of Orochimaru the Snake Sage, one of the Legendary Sannin.

"Well, well, what have we here? A little rodent that's spied on my acquisition. Do you know what happens to spies, little rat?"

Ryo tore off his visor and activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the bright red of the technique making the Sannin pause, then grin in glee at his discovery.

"Sharingan? This little rat looks like Sasuke-kun, yet with such beautiful eyes… I must have you!"

Just as Orochimaru lunged, Ryo's right eye lit up, veins appearing through the white of it.

"AMATERASU!"

Black flames lit up on the snake-like ninja's body, which made him shriek in surprise and pain, before he vanished. Ryo gasped as agony as blood began pouring from his eye like tears. He fell like a rock, landing badly next to Sakura, who was holding Sasuke's head in her lap as he finally succumbed to unconsciousness. She yelped and turned with a kunai raised, only to sigh in relief at the sight of the other Konoha ninja.

"Are you all right?"

Ryo got into a crouch and covered his bleeding eye. "That ought to keep him away for a long time…OUCH…!"

The pink-haired girl saw the blood on his glove and cried, "You're bleeding! You need help!"

He shook his head and felt the blood stop flowing, blinking the remnants away. He moved to put on his visor again but it was too late, Sakura saw his face.

"Ryo-kun?! Ryo-kun, it's you!"

A blush of embarrassment covered his cheeks as he flinched from her touch as she tried to see his face. "Please don't, Sakura-chan. The bleeding has stopped completely. I'm fine, just a little unnerved."

"I watched you, and you seemed unaffected by anything! What could've scared you?"

He turned to her, eyes serious. "That ninja you just fought, I had to chase him off. Fox-sensei ought to be very ticked off at the news that he's back in Konohagakure no Sato."

Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth agape. "H…how could _you_ have chased _Orochimaru_ away?! That's impossible!"

His face paled as he felt the adrenaline wear off and the huge chunk of chakra he'd just used take its toll. He gasped for breath, before he placed his visor back over his eyes. "Right now, I need to help you get your teammates to a more defensible place."

"Whatever you did, it must've taken a lot of your chakra! You shouldn't move!"

"I _said_, I'm fine. Let me help you until you're safe, Sakura-chan. Please."

Her eyes softened at his pleading and she nodded. "Okay, Ryo-kun. Can you get Naruto? It's kind of hard to get to him right now."

He nodded and used his Body Flicker to get to the tree that the unconscious blonde hung from. He removed the kunai and lifted the dead weight of his friend onto his back before he leapt back, before helping Sakura with Sasuke and moving them to a clearing with a tree that's roots were above ground that formed a shelter of sorts. Naruto and Sasuke were laid under it, before Sakura felt the Uchiha's forehead.

"He's burning up, it must be because of that bruise."

Ryo nodded, pacing about the perimeter before nodding. "It seems safe for now, but I'll be hanging around somewhere watching until both your teammates are awake and well."

He leapt out of sight, leaving Sakura alone.

* * *

As he rested a little during the night, he recollected some of his first memories separated from Sasuke, as painful as they were.

"_Tsukuyomi!"_

_The boy found himself in a world of darkness where Itachi appeared in front of him, drawing his sword. "Fight me Sasuke, to the death, or you'll die like a dog."_

_He trembled, seeing a kunai in his hand. "I'm not strong enough to kill you, Nii-san! You said so yourself that I'm not even worth killing!"_

"_Then you choose your death before you can make yourself stronger…"_

_Itachi appeared in front of him, and like a shadow of death, his sword swung down like his impending doom. The eight-year-old cried out in fear, before swinging up his weapon and by some miracle, blocked his brother's sword. When he looked up, his eyes were lit up in Sharingan, two tomoes in each eye._

"_I don't want to die, Nii-san! I'll defeat you now, even if I have to fight for the rest of my life!"_

"_Excellent, Sasuke."_

_For what seemed like years, he fought off death blows from every angle, until a third tomoe appeared in both his eyes and he screamed in effort as he stabbed Itachi through the heart. Itachi looked down at him before falling back to the ground, eyes still open, but blank. The younger of the two stepped back, eyes quivering._

"_Nii-san…? Nii-san, NO! EVEN IF YOU TOLD ME TO, I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL YOU! _NII-SAAAAAAAN!"

_His eyes changed to Mangekyo as he wept, before he fell back in faint._

_When he woke, he covered his eyes as they throbbed in pain. Tears ran down his face as tried not to howl from the agony._

"_This is most excellent. He will be a proper heir to my legacy," an unknown man's voice stated in satisfaction. "His hatred and pain will drive him to be stronger than his former incarnation, creating the perfect ninja with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."_

_He vanished, and Itachi appeared, putting his arms around his younger brother. "Sasuke-chan, I don't have much time to be with you before I have to leave you, but please listen to me."_

"_Nii-san, you're—"_

"_Hush, just listen to this story and I will seal away your powers until your chakra is developed enough to handle the strain, but only if you do not tell another soul. Is it a promise, Ototo?"_

"_Sasuke-chan" nodded and listened to his brother's story through a whisper. His eyes brightened with realization that his brother had been forced to do this, but had unable to kill his heart to slay him, his beloved little brother. He planned on making the other Sasuke strong through his drive for revenge, but if wind of his plan came to his other little brother, all would be ruined._

"_Nii-san, I'm so sorry I ever thought of hating you…" the boy whimpered, as Itachi kissed each of his eyelids, before poking him in the forehead._

"_Forgive me Sasuke, I must leave. Perhaps next time we meet I'll be able to spend time with you before the end."_

"_Nii-san, I love you more than anything."_

_Itachi smiled before disappearing._

Ryo's eyes snapped open when he realized he'd fallen asleep. He'd woken at the opportune time as well, right when the team from Otogakure no Sato had appeared. Sakura lifted a kunai to defend her teammates, so he waited for the opportune time to strike, since if he came out too early, he would be spotted, and too late…Sakura would probably die. He counted the seconds before he used Body Flicker to appear in front of the green-eyed girl.

The Oto team stepped back at his appearance, but before they reacted, he flew through the hand signs to his simplest fire technique. "Fire Release: Fireball Technique!"

The girl on the team cried out as she was given third degree burns on her left side. The other two were able to escape unscathed. The leader, wrapped in bandages with a strange device on his arm, observed the attack and nodded. "That was good for a beginner, kid. You hid yourself well and used a Jonin-level technique to your advantage, but such a flashy attack tipped us off. That fire technique is very easy to dodge if you know what you're looking for. Now it's my move."

While the guy was talking, Ryo used his speed to dispatch the girl by knocking her unconscious, before doing the same to the other guy. He could've easily slit their throats, but he wasn't so inhumane that he would kill enemies that were below him. He then began his signature technique, and when he did the last sign, he appeared in front of his enemy. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique!"

The attack at point blank gave him no chance to escape, and he nearly burned to a crisp. Ryo lowered his hand and stepped up to the ninja who'd been gloating and stated, "You spent too much time talking, while I cast an illusion on you and took out your teammates. When they were out of the way, you were too easy. If that's all that Otogakure no Sato has, I'm sorely disappointed."

He bent down to retrieve the scroll that he'd won for Sakura, when a high-pitched noise hit him in both ears. He screamed, covering his wounded organs at the same time cursing himself for being so careless. He felt dizzy, but he stumbled to his feet, seeing three of everything.

"It is you who talks to much, kid. Do you think just because I'm down means I can't counterattack?"

Sakura cried out, running to Ryo. "Ryo-kun! Ryo-kun, are you okay?!"

"T…take him…out…" he managed to get out before he retched, his dizziness increasing by tenfold because of the action.

Sakura punched the leader in the head, rendering him unconscious. She then returned to her savior, putting his arm over her shoulders. "I'll take care of them, you have to rest."

He closed his eyes to try and soothe his spinning head. "Take their scroll, since yours was destroyed…"

She got him to sit down next to Sasuke and Naruto, checking the two before finding the scroll, which was an Earth one. She then struggled to move the team when she heard a familiar voice.

"Sakura!"

Ino, Shikamaru and Choji came out of the bushes, the blonde girl coming up to her friend. "Are you all right? I saw the fight, you were amazing how you protected him when he was in trouble! That was a fierce punch you have!"

Shikamaru and Choji tensed when Sasuke suddenly got up, surrounded by dark chakra. Sakura ran up to him and cried, "Sasuke-kun! Calm down!" before restraining him in her arms.

He looked down at her and the chakra receded, along with the mark that had spread across his face and arms. He fell down, feeling weak. He gasped for breath, before noticing Ryo. "What's that kid doing here?"

"He helped me protect you two from the Oto team that attacked us, Sasuke-kun. He needs to rest since he suffered from an attack that's upset his balance."

Sasuke glared at Ryo, who was trying to keep as still as possible. "Hey kid."

"Yes?"

"Thanks for protecting us when you're competition in this exam."

"You're welcome, even though it cost me yesterday's lunch."

Sasuke snorted. "I owe you."

"If that's what you wish."

Naruto woke, having been hit over the head by Choji after he and Shikamaru relocated the Oto team. He hissed as he felt the bump before looking around. "Hey…where's that snake dude?! Where am I?!"

The two boys shook their heads at the blonde's panic. "You idiot, whatever dream you were having while you were unconscious, you missed out on a battle."

Naruto saw Ryo all pale and sweaty, obviously not feeling well. He got up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, you okay man?"

"I'll be okay in a few hours if I just rest, then I'll be on my way."

Ino nodded to Sakura, acknowledging her strength and waving to her teammates, who followed her as she left.

Naruto grinned and asked, "So Sakura-chan, you fought with this guy against Orochimaru?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, the team from Otogakure no Sato attacked us and he decided to help. He got hit by the leader's sound technique and is pretty dizzy. He did a fire attack that was bigger than Sasuke-kun's!"

Sasuke speared Ryo with a death glare. "You did a fire attack better than the Fireball? Your chakra couldn't be developed enough unless you went through more than six months of training."

Ryo smiled a little, chuckling. "Fox-sensei taught me what ANBU usually train in. My chakra control is better than most Chunin, probably some Jonin. My reserves have to be high to be able to do some of the techniques I execute more than once a day."

"Who are you that you could survive such training?!"

"You should already know, but I won't reveal it myself, it should be out in the open in due time."

Ryo closed his eyes to rest, Sakura feeling his forehead to check for a fever, her cool fingers soothing him as he dropped into a fitful sleep.

"_Nii-san!"_

"_Defend yourself, we're working on your taijutsu first!"_

"_Right!"_

_A fierce training session later, Ryo panted, his brother handed him a canteen of water. "You did well, Ryo-chan. You have potential to become a fierce fighter, perhaps surpassing me in the years to come."_

"_Why are you here in Konohagakure no Sato? I thought you were counted as a traitor and an S-class criminal."_

"_I called in on a few debts I had with the Hokage so I could be your teacher. You need training so you won't be left behind as Sasuke soars forward."_

"_Can we train some more?"_

_Itachi poked him in the middle of the forehead. "Forgive me Ryo-chan, not until next time. You need your rest after such harsh training."_

_Ryo held his forehead and frowned a little. "I know you're right, but you don't have to poke me like that."_

"_It's a habit, and one of the ways I show affection."_

"_Okay, Nii-san. I still don't like it that much."_

"_From now on, you can only call me 'Nii-san' when we're sure we're alone, the rest of the time you must call me 'Fox-sensei'."_

"_I understand, Nii-san."_

_Itachi mussed his little brother's hair and smiled. "When we talk like this, it's almost as if Sasuke's eight years old again and we were the best of friends as well as brothers. It brings me back, but I need to focus that I have two younger brothers, not just one. You're not Sasuke, even though you are an exact copy. Because I spared you the suffering, you're happier knowing I do everything to Sasuke for a reason. I will train you until the end, so you can stand up to the enemies you will gain at my passing as well as I do."_

_Ryo hugged his elder brother and tried to stifle the sobs that rose in his throat. "I don't want you to die Nii-san, even if it's necessary to make Sasuke strong. I don't like how angry and bitter he's become. I wish he was gentle and compassionate, like you."_

"_You're my best friend when Sasuke has become my worst enemy. I can be your confidant when you cannot talk with anyone else. I've heard that you've become friends with Sasuke's teammates."_

"_Yes, and they wanted me to be on their team instead of Sasuke. Naruto is my best buddy, and Sakura-chan…I might like her more than a friend. I don't know if I'll ever have the confidence to tell her my feelings."_

"_You will Ototo, you will."_

"I believe you…Nii-san…" Ryo murmured as he woke, only to find Sasuke sitting in front of him, eyes narrowed in speculation. On impulse he shoved his twin out of his face, snapping, "Don't do that! With how I've been trained, I could've broken your nose for startling me like that!"

Sasuke scowled as he got up from his sprawled position from being pushed so suddenly. "Why didn't you, then?"

Ryo stood and brushed himself off. "I recognized you at the last second. Why were you sitting so close to me, anyway?"

Naruto, who'd watched the whole thing, finally couldn't hold in his laughter anymore. "You got shoved away like you were getting rejected, Sasuke! You should've seen your face!"

"Shut up, dobe!" Sasuke bit out, glaring at him before turning back to his brother. "You were talking in your sleep, so I was trying to listen to see if I could find out anything about you, but you were barely articulating well at all. Do you lose it when you're sleeping?"

"I do that on purpose, so people can't find out anything about me unless they can understand gibberish," Ryo answered, frowning a little.

Sakura came up to him, eyes bright with happiness at seeing he was well. "Are you feeling all right now?"

He nodded, smiling a little at her expression. He looked her over and admitted she was beautiful, what she was made fun of were some of her most dazzling features. Without thinking, he stepped closer and murmured, "Sakura-chan, you're a one-of-a-kind girl, so beautiful…" He bent down and kissed her forehead, closing his eyes.

Her face turned bright red and she squealed, her eyes sparkling as he pulled back, trying to keep some semblance of dignity. He was charmed thoroughly by her, so much that he temporarily forgot who else was there. He lifted a lock of her hair and smiled. "Your long hair is lovely, so silky and smooth. I want to run my hands through it as I kiss you…"

Her eyes turned into hearts as she whispered, "You can kiss me if you want…"

Before he could do anything, Naruto punched him in the face. "Hey dummy! Quit flirting with Sakura-chan! I won't just punch you next time I catch you!"

"Naruto…" Sakura growled, glaring him. "You…MORON!"

She slugged him so hard he flew across the clearing and hit a tree upside-down. She then turned to Ryo, holding out a hand. "Are you okay? He didn't hit you too hard, did he?"

Ryo let her help him up and shook his head. "Shouldn't be around when you next see me, Sakura-chan." He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a quick kiss before using his Body Flicker to get far away enough to dodge Sasuke's retribution, should there be any. He turned back to see her reaction.

Her face lit up as she realized what he'd done, before shrieking in delight, twirling around before calling, "I love you!"

He smiled and headed to the tower.

* * *

Awww...isn't that cute? Before anyone bashes me, I remind you that Ryo is Sasuke should he have known the truth about Itachi from the beginning with a few twists to his abilities, as you all have read in this chapter with the flashbacks he had in dreams. The second flashback was a continuation of chapter 2, so look back to make the connection.

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I enjoy writing it!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine!

We found out some important things about Ryo last time, what else could there be in store?

*shrugs* You'll have to read and find out!

* * *

When he next saw Team Seven, Sakura looked like she was walking on air, Naruto was scowling and Sasuke was trying not to look concerned at all. He stood facing the Sandaime, Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Suna's Jonin-sensei, a strange, yellow-eyed man that had to be Oto's Jonin-sensei and Fox-sensei (a.k.a. Itachi). He smiled at the sight of his ANBU-sensei/brother, knowing that he would have time to talk with him later about the appearance of Orochimaru (if he hadn't found out already).

He listened to the talk about the countries being all friends and other such things by the Hokage, before the proctor (a man that didn't seem like he was in good health at all) coughed a little before asking if anyone didn't feel well enough to continue on to the third exam. The Rookie Ten were surprised when Kabuto gave up and walked away, even though there was an even amount of Genin there. Ryo thought it was strange how he quit when he barely had any scratches on him, but to each his own.

He looked up when the proctor coughed and announced, "Because there is an uneven amount of Genin left, at random one Genin will be given a bye to the third exam. Now look up at the board, for it will determine your fate within the third exam."

All the Genin looked up at the board as names flew by, then stopped. It read: Uchiha Ryo vs. Dosu.

Ryo smirked as his classmates looked around, as did all the rest of the Genin. There was a second Uchiha?

"Now would all Genin besides those on the board please go up to the observation balconies."

As everyone besides Ryo and his opponent went up, everyone saw who Ryo was. He felt everyone's eyes on him as he eyed his opponent, who was the leader of the Oto team he defeated.

"The match between Uchiha Ryo and Dosu will begin."

The proctor stepped back, and the two stared at each other.

"Now you don't have anywhere to hide _Uchiha_," Dosu sneered. "How will you proceed, because I'm going to have revenge for nearly frying me with your fire technique."

"I will proceed as I wish," Ryo replied neutrally.

"Can you even see with that visor over your eyes? I thought all Uchiha valued their Sharingan so much that they would never cover their eyes."

"I don't need my Sharingan to defeat you. I only need to use it when I have a challenging enemy."

"I'll make you eat those words!"

Dosu swung his arm, Ryo dodging. The Oto ninja stepped back, only to have his opponent kick him in the face, which was totally unexpected. He stumbled back, only for Ryo to hit him with a quick combo of kicks and punches, before stabbing him straight into the elbow with his sound-amplifier. He yelled in pain as Ryo didn't let up in his assault, hitting him everywhere at once before using his normal speed to get behind him and stab deep into his neck with his sword, severing the spine.

The Oto ninja fell limp as he wrenched out his weapon, blood dripping off the tip. The proctor checked for a pulse and shook his head. "The match is over, ending in a death. Winner, Uchiha Ryo."

Ryo nodded as he began walking up to Fox-sensei, but was intercepted by the rest of the Rookie Ten.

"Is that really you, Ryo-kun?!" Ino demanded, eyes burning with fury. "You were such a dork in the academy!"

"To think the elusive, teamless ninja would be Ryo," Shikamaru mused. "I never would've guessed by how much you've changed."

Kiba came up to him and sniffed. "Wow, you really _are_ Ryo! How could I have missed it?!"

Shino and Hinata merely observed him, not sure how to approach their former classmate.

Choji came up to him and grinned. "I can tell it's you now, since only your eyes are covered! Such a covering really makes you look different!"

Naruto gave him a bear hug, shouting, "You should've told me it was you, buddy! We could've worked together better!"

Sakura blushed and smiled, not saying anything.

Sasuke came up last and demanded, "Why are you wearing that visor for? It blocks your main weapon."

Ryo shook his head and headed over to Fox-sensei, who was waiting for him. He bowed a little and smiled. "Fox-sensei."

"Congratulations on your victory, Ryo. You make me proud to be your teacher."

His smile turned into a grin as he pulled out earphones that completely covered the inside of his ears. "This was the key to my victory Fox-sensei, since I faced him before in the second exam."

"I was wondering why you were tapping your fingers to a beat no one else could hear. Excellent strategy, my student. Thinking on your feet and not letting a loss be a loss. What kind of music were you listening to during your match?"

"Heavy metal. A couple times I just wanted to stop and do air-guitar just to freak my opponent out."

Those who knew Ryo during his academy days sweat-dropped. Who knew that such a gentle kid like Ryo would like heavy metal music? It seemed almost illogical.

Ryo glowered when Fox-sensei rumpled his hair with his gloved hand. "Awww, Fox-sensei…"

"For passing on to the third exam, I'll give you an extra reward once the prelims are over."

His sour expression flipped like a light, and he jumped up and down a little as he beamed. "Really, Fox-sensei?! What is it, what is it?!"

"Now that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?"

"You're no fun, Fox-sensei. You big tease."

Fox-sensei chuckled a little before turning Ryo towards the arena, where the next match was being displayed.

* * *

It turned out Choji got the bye on his match, which the chubby boy was grateful for and dreaded. At the end of the preliminaries, they were given the match-ups for the third exam, which would begin in a month's time. Choji almost cowered when he saw he was matched up against Ryo, who didn't even mock him for being weak. When they were dismissed, Ryo ran over to his brother and walked with him into the metropolis of the village, where they stopped at a tea shop.

"Before your training I thought we could relax for a day. If I made you work the whole time this month, you would be so worn down that you wouldn't be able to move, let alone compete."

"Of course, Fox-sensei."

They drank their tea and ate dango, before they went to a hot spring, where they soaked. Ryo sat next to Itachi, who had his mask on still and a cloth covering his recognizable hair. He murmured so only his brother could hear, "I admitted to Sakura-chan that I thought she was beautiful and I kissed her forehead and on the lips."

He grunted when Itachi placed a hand on his head, mussing his hair thoroughly. "You're growing up already, Ryo. Are there more pressing matters that you want to talk about?"

"Um…Orochimaru has returned to the village."

"I know. Did you meet him?"

"Yes, I did."

"How did you escape unscathed?"

"I used Amaterasu. I don't know how he was able to survive, but I could feel his presence in the preliminaries, at least during the first two matches."

"He was posing as the Jonin-sensei for the Oto Genin team. I knew it was him the instant I laid eyes on him. I know he's marked Sasuke like he has some of his other chosen followers, but he plans on taking Sasuke as his new host."

"You mean he wants to take Sasuke as his new body?"

"Yes, he tried to do it with me, but he failed because I defeated him and he was banished from the Akatsuki. I could see he has an even greater interest in you. It must be because you have different eyes than even I have."

"So you think there might be a plan of capturing me and trying to…_mark_ me while he abandons Sasuke?"

"If that's true, then you must be vigilant and kill any who try to capture you. If you kill enough of his followers then I'm sure he'll give up on you, but then again, he is a patient person and will do anything to get his hands on what he deems a perfect host body."

Ryo shivered. "It sounds like he's a parasite."

"Close enough to one."

"So what are we going to do during my training?"

"We're going to practice more chakra control and genjutsu."

"Yay!"

* * *

On the last day before the third exam was to start, Itachi waved his younger brother/apprentice off. "Ryo-chan, you need to rest up, take the day off and go have some fun with your new love interest."

Ryo fidgeted a little before nodding. "Wish me luck, Nii-san?"

Itachi mussed his hair. "You don't need it when the girl says she loves you."

"Okay, if you say so."

Ryo found Sakura just exiting her house, and her countenance brightened when she spotted him. He wore his colored contacts (so she could see his eyes) even if they made his eyes itch. He smiled and greeted, "Hey, Sak—"

"Ryo-kun!" she cried, hugging him.

His face turned red as she did so, but he awkwardly hugged her back. "Do you…do you…"

She looked up at him, her bright smile still in place. "Yes?"

"Do you want to go on a small…date…with me?"

The cherry blossom-haired girl squealed and nodded eagerly. "Of course, Ryo-kun! Where are we going? Out to lunch?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I _am_ rather hungry."

She took his hand and began to pull him along. He tried to relax, but outside of training and missions, he wasn't that confident. He fingered the hem of his pocket as they walked, not knowing what to say.

"Ryo-kun, did you know Choji isn't going to be in the third exam? The doctors say he has ulcers due to too much stress over having to fight you. So your opponent in the first round is undecided, since Temari-san and Shikamaru'll be fighting each other to decide who fights you."

He hummed a little, before replying with, "That might be a good thing for Choji. I'm a little unpredictable on the battlefield."

"The way you didn't waver in the preliminaries showed everyone how good you are at gauging your enemies' and your own prowess then take action according to what you see. Is it because you were trained by Fox-sensei that you didn't hesitate before killing him?"

"Yes, I was taught to only use my more notable abilities when I had to, and that speed, taijutsu, mastery of weapons and weak points in the human body are vital to becoming a skilled ANBU. That is why I only pulled out my wakizashi to deliver the final blow. It was the only weapon I had that was long enough."

"Did you really have to kill him?"

"If I hadn't, I would've had to cut his arm off to keep him from channeling chakra to his primary weapon. I don't like shedding too much blood, and I showed him mercy by not subjecting him to the torture of a severed limb."

"So you'd rather kill them than mutilate them?"

"If you mean 'them' as in my enemies, then yes."

"So you don't like causing undue pain and shedding too much blood. That is very…merciful. You're a merciful killer…"

He grimaced, and then sighed. "Yes, even though I'd rather not be a killer. But that is how I was trained to think. Most enemies are to be killed unless otherwise stated for."

"You really are tenderhearted, Ryo-kun."

"I am, even Fox-sensei tells me so."

She gave him a sympathetic look as they took their seats at a higher-class restaurant than Ichiraku Ramen. He thought about how many missions he'd been on, even though he was still a Genin. He often had to take on A-ranked missions with Fox-sensei to observe and learn on the fly how to be a perfect ANBU, even if he wouldn't get the rank until after he became a Jonin. He was so thankful it wasn't officially written down how many high-ranked missions he'd actually taken on in six months. He'd spotted his eleven D-rank and eight C-rank on the dossier card Kabuto had shown his classmates, but the six B-rank, nine A-rank and one S-rank had been unmarked, luckily, or else all the Genin in the first exam would've freaked out at his experience.

As he ate his rice mixed with stir-fried vegetables and chicken, he tapped his free hand in a beat that had Sakura asking, "Are you listening to music while we're eating, Ryo-kun? You're tapping in a beat I recognize from the preliminaries."

He shook his head before scratching the back of it. "Sorry Sakura-chan, it's a habit I've picked up while thinking. Besides, my usual headphones cover my ears completely, and it would be extremely rude to listen to music while on a…date…"

She blushed a little as she took a bite of her rice. "I told Ino-chan that you like me, but she didn't believe it. I'd watch out for her in the future if you're not busy with missions or training, she might just glomp you."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. It's quite a change, considering that past experiences we had at the academy. She almost bullied me, she teased me so bad."

"It's probably because you're a softy and even though you were quiet, you didn't have the confident aura as a ninja that you do now. As for me, I always had a crush on you, ever since you entered the academy."

Ryo tried not to grin at that, since his mouth was full. Sakura's affection wasn't on unstable ground, unlike Ino's. It didn't seem right that a girl that mocked him for being himself would like him when he acted like her ideal guy. She was shallow and fickle, that was for sure. And he did _not_ want a girlfriend like that, even at twelve almost thirteen. He thought about his relationship with Sakura and knew it couldn't be that romantic until they were older, or he would feel extremely awkward.

* * *

End chapter! It seems rather abrupt, but don't worry, the rest of their date will be shown in later chapters!

But it was cute, wasn't it?

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, so I can't be sued!

My answer to an anonymous reviewer: It's really hard for me to make OCs that don't shine their brightest... My deepest apologies.

Here's the next chapter!

* * *

"Hey Taka! Get moving or the boss is gonna kill you!"

Said person tripped and fell over his own feet, the others around laughing at their co-worker's clumsiness.

"Oops! Watch it or else you'll trip over the air next, Taka!"

As he scrambled to his feet, his baggy white t-shirt, dirty and ripped blue jeans, too-large sneakers and coke-bottle glasses making him seem even more like a loser. He pushed his glasses up over his nose again, scratching his head of uneven black hair, his long bangs pinned back along the sides of his head with silver clips. He grinned uneasily as he ran as fast as he was able to the boss.

"Y-y-y-yeah, Boss?"

"Taka, you know that I value you as a hard worker, but your natural klutziness is getting in the way with our operation. If you hadn't been recommended, I would have to fire you. You're weaker than everyone here, even if you try your hardest. Do you have any merits at all?"

Taka smiled uncertainly.

"Our female workers think you're a nuisance, all our male workers think you're a total geek. I want you to lift that box over there."

The young man did as asked, or at least tried to. The box was over seventy pounds and was well over half his weight. He strained, beginning to sweat after a couple minutes of struggle. The older man sighed and shook his head, obviously regretting recruiting such a worthless weakling.

"How are our new recruits?" a smooth, slippery voice asked.

"Most are fine, but our youngest obviously doesn't have what it takes. Can't even lift a box half his weight, has no charisma, no looks, nothing. Trips over his own feet like he's a kid instead of a teenager."

Orochimaru stepped out from the shadows, Sasuke at his side. The Snake Sannin looked Taka over and chuckled. "Perhaps he needs some motivation, like knowing who he's working for."

"Hey Taka, I want you to meet the real boss of this place."

Taka turned and nodded vacantly to the much older man.

"This is Orochimaru-sama and his apprentice, Sasuke-sama. Show some respect, you empty-headed kid."

The teenager bowed, only to fall on his face, spread-eagled on the ground. On his fifth attempt to get up he succeeded, not even groaning in pain, chuckling nervously as he tried a shallower bow. "Or-Orochimaru-sama, S-Sasuke-sama. Forgive me my clumsiness."

"Two of the indestructible things about this boy: his glasses and his body. He falls more than stays on his feet, I think he'll never be a good ninja even if you experimented on him, Orochimaru-sama. Should I kick him out?"

"No, I'll test his abilities since they seem to be in their raw stages right now. Boy, come with me."

Taka nodded and followed him, going through a door and into an underground complex. Sasuke parted from the pair and left, not even caring about this new toy Orochimaru had acquired. The Sannin led Taka into a lab and gestured to Kabuto, who was working on something.

"Kabuto, this is our newest addition, Taka. The boy has abilities that astound me."

The white-haired medical ninja adjusted his glasses and asked, "What kind of capabilities?"

"He applied to become a ninja but cannot seem to get any stronger, and he's clumsy to the point of being handicapped. I want you to assess his abilities through a series of tests."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama."

Kabuto hooked him up to a treadmill and to several machines to measure his chakra flow, heart rate, breathing, and brain waves. "I want to see how well you can keep up with the usual ninja speed. Run as much as you can and try not to trip."

Taka bit his lip, not sure how this would go.

"Start."

With a beep, the machine began to move, speeding up rapidly as Taka sprinted, but he began gasping for breath and his heart rate went through the roof within a minute, his chakra flow next to nil. His shoe scuffed the moving floor and he tripped, rolling backwards onto the actual floor. Everything disconnected from him in the moment of klutziness, and he shook his head as he sat up, his back cracking as he tried to readjust it.

"Fascinating, I see what you mean by him being so pathetic it almost seems like a skill. Are you sure you want to keep him, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Yes, I do. He will make an interesting test subject."

"His vision must be horrible if he wears glasses so thick you can't see his eyes. What do you wish for me to do with him?"

"Boost everything to a normal ninja's, it doesn't matter what you must do to him. After you administer the treatments, allow him to rest."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. It will be as you say."

Taka winced as he was given a series of injections that made his body feel funny. The last one made him dizzy and weak, so Kabuto dragged him to one of the many rooms and deposited him on the bed.

"You should feel better in a day or two, if you're lucky. Orochimaru-sama's experiments are usually brutally fatal to civilians. If you die within the next few hours, it shouldn't be too odd. After all, you are worse than the normal civilian, even. Sweet dreams, Taka."

He shut and locked the door, smirking at how much pain Taka had been in just by the look on his face. This one was a failure for sure, although he enjoyed the sight of him tumbling in a spectacular manner.

* * *

When he was gone, Taka stopped shaking and sat up fluidly. His hands raised in a sign and he murmured, "Seal."

His clothes changed into the tight-fitting ANBU uniform, and he lifted a fox mask. "Infiltration successful, experimentation successful. Target acquired. Let's see how much Orochimaru likes me now, since I've trained for one-and-a-half years for this day."

Ryo smirked and chuckled. "With the food pill that activates with my disguise, I'm as useless as a civilian, but now I'm even more powerful because of the injections that boost my natural abilities by seventy-five percent. You're all insolent fools, thinking that an ANBU wouldn't be able to infiltrate your 'secret operation'. Nii-san, thank you for all the training you've given me."

He used teleportation techniques to move about the base until he appeared in his twin's room. He drew his sword without a sound and placed it at the other teen's throat. Sasuke stiffened at the cold steel touching his neck.

"Who are you? You're disturbing my rest."

"I have something to tell you before I must leave."

"You have a weapon at my throat, how can I trust it isn't false?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, Sasuke."

Sasuke rolled over, only to meet Ryo's Mangekyo Sharingan. He gasped as he was drawn into Tsukuyomi, the world reversing its colors as the renegade ninja stood from his bed and Ryo sheathed his sword.

"You have the Mangekyo?! How could you have killed your best friend like _him_?!"

"That was not the case, Sasuke. I want you to listen to something important, and this is the only way I know you will."

His lips began to move, but no sound came out. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, but couldn't seem to read his lips.

"I don't understand! I can't hear you!"

Ryo kept speaking, until he finished. He then smiled. "You'll understand when the time is right, Sasuke. Now I must go."

"Where are you going?! You'll talk to me in the real world or I'll hunt you down and force it out of you!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that. I'll be gone when you wake, so fall asleep."

Sasuke fell to the ground and Ryo ended the technique, before transporting back to his original room and holding his hands in a sign. "Release!"

His clothes and look changed again, before his shaking resumed and he collapsed on the bed, his eyes dropping closed.

* * *

"_Ryo, I promise when you come back from your mission I'll be much stronger!" Sakura promised, her waist-length hair tied back much like her teacher, Tsunade's. "Could you at least tell me where you're going?"_

"_Sorry Sakura, you know that's against ANBU conduct."_

_She giggled a little as he kissed her cheek. "I'll miss you for however long you're gone."_

"_Yes, it might take a month to a year, it matters when I reach the goal. Don't worry, I won't be any worse for wear."_

"_You'd better not be, or I'll punish you!"_

_He grinned and hugged her, before using his Body Flicker to travel out of the village._

* * *

"_Sakura, now that Sasuke is gone, are you sad?"_

_She looked at him with a serene expression. "Yes, I miss him because he was a good friend, but as a romantic interest? No. I've grown to love you deeply and I don't want my crush on Sasuke-kun to get between us."_

"_You mean it, don't you?"_

"_Yeah, I do. I love you, Ryo."_

_She kissed him before gazing into his eyes. "Well? Am I getting a reply?"_

"_I love you too, Sakura."_

_They kissed several times in succession, before he pulled back, hugging her to his chest. "As much as I want to say that I want us to have our first night together, we're both too young and just starting our ninja careers. If you were to get…should I even mention it…pregnant, when you're only thirteen-and-a-half, your ninja life would end save being in the village as a medical ninja. I can't do that to you."_

_He stood up and began walking away from her, when she caught his hand. She smiled up at him and whispered, "I'll keep it clean if that's what you want. I don't want to lose you because you don't want to hurt me. Please, don't let that get between us, Ryo. I won't if you'll do the same."_

_He beamed and lifted her, twirling her around. "I always did like good clean fun over hot and sultry. Sakura, until we're older and have had enough experience can we show the others that we're together. I can't have you held against me on a mission or vice versa. So, until then, don't tell anyone about us."_

"_I promise."_

* * *

_Ryo gasped for breath as he laid next to Sakura in his bed, just after his fourteenth birthday, a couple days before he was supposed to go on his mission. He covered his eyes in shame as he realized that they'd both broken promises with this act. They were only fourteen and been seriously dating for six months. How had this happened?_

_Sakura sat up and put her arms around him. "Ryo, what's wrong?"_

"_I'm such an idiot."_

"_Why?"_

"_Both of us promised not to go this far, and look what we've done! I might've ruined your career as a ninja forever because of this! And I won't even be around to find out if I did! I'm so sorry, Sakura!"_

_She laid her head on his shoulder and whispered, "If something does happen, I'll have Shishou help me keep it secret. But if nothing comes of this, I promise to wait until we're older and more mature to get married then do this again."_

_He rolled over and gave her a teasing peck on the lips. "I love you more than you know, Haruno Sakura."_

_Her eyes locked on his as she murmured back, "I love you more than my own life, Uchiha Ryo."_

* * *

"As you can see, he's still alive and the injections have worked well, Orochimaru-sama. His abilities will be at least Chunin level once he wakes, and we can probably train him until we can get him to at least my level. I don't think he has the capability of ever surpassing any of your chosen containers, unfortunately."

Taka opened his eyes slowly, seeing a translucent view of the ceiling above him. His eyesight was drastically better, if he couldn't see through his glasses. He sat up, stretching and felt new sureness in his limbs. He didn't feel klutzy for the first time in his life. He took off his glasses as was amazed to see that he didn't have to squint to see. He slid out of bed and saw his limbs were very muscled instead of like mush.

Kabuto came up to him and grinned. "How do you feel, Taka?"

"Honestly? I feel better than I have in my life, Kabuto-san."

Orochimaru smirked at seeing Taka taking well to his new body. "You might become one of my main fighters, Taka. You are going to become a ninja of the finest caliber, if you stay loyal to me."

Taka knelt in front of the Snake Sage. "I'll do anything for you, Orochimaru-sama."

"Kabuto, begin his training."

* * *

When Taka turned fifteen, he was an excellent weapons specialist, along with medical techniques that Kabuto had taught him for back-up. He wore glasses for show, just like his fellow medical ninja, since he felt more comfortable wearing something on his face after being horribly near-sighted for most of his life. His glasses weren't round like Kabuto's though, they were oval that barely covered his eyes. He had picked up so many habits from Kabuto that the older ninja called him "miniature me". He had become much taller and was exactly the same height as Sasuke. He wore a tighter-fitting white t-shirt, black pants that tucked into a cross between boots and ninja sandals.

He heard a disturbance around Sasuke's location and smirked, knowing this was his time to shine. He used his teleportation technique and appeared just behind a group of ninjas he'd never seen in person before. He placed a hand on his hip and his smirk widened. "Well, well, Sasuke-sama, what do we have here?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the others turned partway towards the newest threat. "Taka, what are you doing here? I'd thought you'd be helping Kabuto or Orochimaru."

Taka pushed his glasses higher up his nose. "Unfortunately for you, I was busy watching the facility. I noticed our intruders long ago, but decided to watch the fun a little before coming to help you some."

"In other words, you were taking a nap."

"What I do in my spare time is my own, I don't nose into your affairs unless Orochimaru-sama or Kabuto-sensei orders me to. If you don't want my help, I'll just watch."

"I would appreciate that and your silence."

"As you wish."

Naruto growled and shouted, "Who the heck are you?! You talk with Sasuke like you're old buddies!"

Taka looked up at Sasuke, expecting him to answer since he'd been told to shut up.

"Naruto, he was recruited by Orochimaru a year ago and was trained by Kabuto and is one of their main fighters. He also watched my training from afar so he knows more about me than even Orochimaru."

Yamato glanced at the glasses-wearing ninja and considered him. "So he might be even more valuable than Kabuto if we capture him, because he's probably privy to all kinds of secrets if he's trusted enough to watch Sasuke being trained."

Taka smirked. If only they knew what of Orochimaru's secrets he knew, they would capture him without even taking a second glance at Sasuke. Even though it was their mission to capture Sasuke, he knew every hideout that Orochimaru had made, what was hidden in each one, even the schedule that the Sannin kept without fail on when he would switch hideouts. Unless he was to retreat because of trouble, and it would be only this one time that he would change his schedule on shifting locations. But he wouldn't be captured without a fight, and Sasuke would take the chance to kill them if they were distracted.

"Sakura, you concentrate on Taka while Naruto and Sai help me with Sasuke," Yamato ordered, and Sakura turned to the other medical ninja.

"Sakura was it? Do you think you have what it takes to beat me, let alone capture me alive?" the raven-haired teen challenged, his smirk widening into a grin.

"I'm good enough," she replied, hand reaching for her weapons pouch. "Overconfident, are we?"

"Not _over_confident, just confident."

She started by throwing a flurry of shuriken at him, and he countered by deflecting him with his own, before drawing two handfuls of kunai, aiming to incapacitate her. She was grazed by them as she charged, chakra gathering around her fist as she swung at him, only for him to dodge and she made the wall behind him crumble.

"Whoa! I thought you were trying to capture me alive. If that had hit, I would've been a goner."

He grabbed more shuriken and threw them, before making a single hand sign. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

She yelped at the sudden increase in numbers, numerous cuts appearing on her body from failed attempts at dodging them all. He charged at her, a kunai in each hand, when she swung and hit him full in the stomach, making him cough up blood as he flew through the air. He landed and she pinned him, her ponytails hanging over shoulders and tickling his cheeks. He grinned and croaked, "Well, this is a position I certainly haven't had the pleasure of being in before."

Her face flushed and she punched him in the nose. "You pervert!"

He shrugged under her and admitted, "I just thought aloud. Forgive me, Sakura-sama."

She gritted her teeth and hissed, "Don't you dare say another thing about it, you little lech."

"Of course, I surrender on the fear that you'll bash my brains in."

Sasuke, who had been stopped by Orochimaru from striking down everyone below him, sneered, "You loser, it's your fault if they torture you to death."

Taka turned his head and called, "I apologize for my weakness, Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-sensei! I have failed you and I know the consequences!"

Kabuto nodded. "You served Orochimaru-sama and Sasuke well, Taka. Farewell."

The trio vanished like a paper burned by a flame.

"Yamato-taicho!" Sakura called as she twisted Taka's arms behind his back as she yanked him to his feet as she stood up.

Yamato clasped his hands together and wood beams wrapped around Taka's body, so he could barely move at all. The wood-user nodded and lifted the teen up. "We need to return to Konohagakure no Sato as soon as possible to report our findings to the Hokage and hand the prisoner over for interrogation. This mission has proved to be a failure."

Naruto growled. "Sasuke, I'll pound you and drag you back next time I see you!"

* * *

Does Team Kakashi even realize who they have in their hold?

lol

Of course not!

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

I guess I don't have much to say this time. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she heard the mission report. "Sasuke refuses to come back to Konohagakure no Sato. This is getting cumbersome to say the least. Now, where is the prisoner?"

Naruto and Sai dropped Taka onto the floor in front of her desk. Yamato nodded to him. "We captured him because he revealed that he was working closely with Orochimaru and Kabuto and had observed Sasuke as well."

The blonde Hokage took one look at him and heaved a deep sigh, grasping her face with a hand. "It was around time for this to become more dangerous, but I guess it's for the best. Let him go, he isn't an enemy."

Team Kakashi blinked in unison, confused. Taka sliced through the wood bindings with ease, jumping to his feet before placing his hands together. "Seal!"

Ryo appeared and knelt on one knee in front of the Godaime. "Hokage-sama."

She nodded. "It seems as though your mission was cut short, Kitsune. You will give me a detailed report on your findings later. You may go and rest now, for you look a little battered."

He nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama."

He used his teleportation technique to travel to his apartment, where he removed and hid his mask, and took off his glasses. He raised a hand and green chakra appeared around it. He healed his near-broken nose, bruised cheek and hemorrhaging stomach. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, changing out of his ANBU uniform and into his normal outfit: a black Uchiha shirt, black pants that were cut off at mid-calf, and a gift that Itachi had bestowed on him on the day of his appointment to ANBU: the very necklace that he had worn for so many years as a missing-nin.

"Orochimaru, you're such a fool not to see through my disguise. Now I've acquired so many skills through my spying and it will be your downfall. If Sasuke doesn't kill you, I will."

He pulled on his ninja sandals and went out on a walk, this activity almost more relaxing to him than sleeping. He had put his black contacts back in so his eyes appeared normal. He pinpointed Sakura's location, knowing he had until tomorrow to hand in his report, which he'd written over the course of his mission. He smiled at the thought of meeting Sakura as himself for the first time in a year. What had happened in that time that he would hear about?

He shook his head and smiled as he saw Sakura heading to her apartment, looking ragged from her long, tiring mission. She hadn't even bothered to look up as she walked, so he intentionally bumped into her. She looked up as he warned, "You should watch where you're going, Sakura. You could've knocked me over."

She lit up like a sunrise as she realized it was him and seized him in a tight hug. "Ryo! I didn't know you were back! I just got back from a mission myself!"

He held her back with just as much fervor, rubbing her back to assure her that he was really here. "It's great to be back home and safe from my mission. You look a little worn out, maybe I should take you home so you can rest."

She shook her head, holding him tighter. "No! I've missed you for so long, I can't let you out of my sight until I've had my fill of you!"

He chuckled a little and plucked at her hair. "It's gotten longer since I saw you last, and you've become much more womanly and beautiful."

Her cheeks flushed as she heard the praise and kissed him, holding his neck as she twirled the hair in his ponytail with her fingers as if to say that his hair had grown too. She whispered when they'd parted for air, "You've become so handsome and so tall, and so masculine. I feel so safe and warm in your arms."

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!"

The pair looked up to see Naruto staring at Ryo as if he was a freak.

Sakura rolled her eyes and frowned. "Naruto, what are you talking about?"

"You-you were kissing! And wasn't Sasuke just with Orochimaru?!"

Ryo nearly coughed, he tried so hard not to laugh. "Naruto, it's good to see you too after two-and-a-half years, although I'm still taller than you."

Naruto stared for a minute before he almost choked. "Ryo?! Is that really you?! How come you weren't here when I came back?!"

"Yeah, it's me, and isn't it obvious? I was on a mission when you came back. I just got back from it today."

The blonde cheered and gave him a huge bear hug, slapping him on the back. "It's great to see you, buddy! You should've come and found me the instant you got back! So what rank are you? Still Chunin? Jonin?"

"I'm ANBU."

"Al-already?! But I thought you were still training under Fox-sensei!"

"Nope. I've been in the ANBU for a little over a year. Fox-sensei trained me to become an ANBU, so I had a short career as a Jonin. My first mission as an ANBU just ended."

"Why such a long rest period? Shouldn't you have been swamped with duties that protect the village?"

"No, I was on a mission for a year. _That_ was the mission I just came back from."

"Oh…that's a forever-long mission! What were you doing? Spying? Assassinations?"

"I can't tell you that, it's against the rules as an ANBU, as well as my code name and such that I've had to take on with this new rank. I can only tell the Hokage what I've been doing, and I will do so, once I finish my report."

"Okay. Hey, wait just a minute! What were _you_ doing, _kissing_ Sakura-chan like that?!"

"Well, she and I are—"

"RYO-KUN!"

Ryo suppressed a shudder at the voice that had shrieked his name. Not back for more than an hour and already _she_ knew. He wanted to crawl under a rock, or better, use an Earth technique to hide himself underground.

Ino came up from behind and hugged him around the neck. "Where've you been _all_ _this_ _time_, cutie? I've. _Missed_. YOU!"

"Hey, Ino-pig, get your paws off Ryo! He doesn't like it when you hug him like that!" Sakura protested, trying to yank her boyfriend away from her blonde friend and rival.

"No _way_! Ryo-kun's been gone for _too long_ and I'm gonna _show_ him how much I've missed him!" Ino countered, pulling back so he was pressed against her.

Ryo knew he shouldn't feel it, but he felt _far too comfortable_ mashed between two girls, even if they were yelling in his ears. Ino might be too aggressive for his taste, but she had filled out _very nicely_, which he could feel _quite_ well in his position. He hadn't felt this way a year ago whenever she'd hugged him, but now that his body was more mature, his male hormones were pumping through his body at all this female contact.

He felt like such a pervert, worse than Jiraiya. But at least he didn't act on his feelings, well, not for anyone but Sakura, although he felt _extremely_ tempted in his position. He had to think clean thoughts, but what could a poor guy do when he felt like jelly between two pieces of bread?

"Why are _you_ so protective of Ryo-kun, Forehead?" Ino demanded, pulling at Ryo again. "I thought he was fair play until he gets married!"

"Wrong Ino-pig, it's until he gets a girlfriend! You act as if he's your beau already!"

"Well, _I _have better assets than you do, Forehead! Why would he choose a girl with such a _wide_ forehead to be his girlfriend?"

"_You're_ too _clingy_! Why don't you just _stop_ it and—"

Ino blew in his ear, which made him jerk and he felt his blood rushing to his head before he felt faint and passed out.

* * *

Ryo woke from his faint in less than ten minutes, finding himself at his apartment, Naruto almost glaring at him. He sat up and rubbed his head, sighing a little. "Who would've thought this would happen?"

"You're such a player, Ryo! Not only did you take Sakura-chan, but Ino as well! They're the prettiest girls in the whole village that are around my age! Ino I'm not protesting much, but you _know_ I like Sakura-chan, even now!"

"I'm not a player, you know Ino's been trying to get her hooks into me from the first time she saw me during the Chunin Exams, and you _also_ know that Sakura's not only had a crush on me ever since I entered the ninja academy, but that crush evolved into something more from the time in the Forest of Death. I was about to tell you before Ino interrupted that Sakura and I are dating, _seriously_ dating, and I'm planning on marrying her in a few years."

"You…Sakura-chan…_married?!_ How come you never told me?!"

"As I said, Ino interrupted. If you couldn't tell, I'm serious about her and I _won't_ cheat on her just to see what Ino is like. That blonde girl needs to find some other guy, because I'm taken."

"Do you _promise_ that you won't cheat on her?"

"That's not even a problem with me."

They clasped hands and the blonde boy nodded. "Take care of Sakura-chan and if you _do_ cheat, it won't just be me beating you to a pulp, I'll tell Sakura-chan, too."

Ryo winced, knowing full well what Sakura could do.

* * *

Taka walked through the streets of Konoha, since he'd been captured and on the pain of death warned not to leave the village for any reason. He showed off his lean build with a tight set of black jeans and a white wife-beater, his shaggy hair falling past his shoulders. Many a girl stopped to look at him as he passed, which he appreciated every second of, considering his past with women, which was nonexistent.

He thought that most of the girls he saw were semi-pretty, but he was looking for a hot babe, preferably one with long hair, since he had a thing for long-haired girls. He also had a thing for fine-toned butts on girls. He wasn't a shameless pervert, but his eyes tended to wander when a girl walked by and he saw she had buns of steel. Kunoichi were especially well-known for being ones to keep their shape and have the attributes he wanted, although most cut their hair short because it got in the way. That Sakura girl had been the type he liked, but she was too violent for him, considering she almost broke his nose.

He passed by a flower shop and stopped, seeing a young woman walking amongst the blooms with a customer, wearing a two-piece outfit of a violet color, her bare midriff revealing her smooth, peach skin and the miniskirt showing off her nicely-toned behind. He smirked as his eyes traveled up to see a ponytail brushing her hips of a lovely blonde. The rest of her matched her beauty and sensuality, and he knew he'd hit the jackpot.

The young man waited to enter the store when the other customer exited, so he would have her whole attention. He practiced his smooth walk, swaggering into the shop as if he wasn't in a hurry. The girl turned when she heard his footsteps and her eyes turned into hearts. "Ryo-kun!"

He blinked at the name and pushed his glasses up as he turned to her. "You must have me mistaken for someone else, gorgeous."

"Megane-san! I'm so sorry! From the side you looked so much like the guy I like! Um…um…was there a particular flower you wished to buy?"

He came up to her and lifted a red rose, placing it in her hands. "I'll pay for this gift in exchange for your name."

She blushed and her lips quivered as she leaned forward a little. "Yamanaka Ino."

"Taka. Your name is as beautiful as you are." **A/N: Liar, her name means "boar".**

"You're as majestic as your name entails in return," she breathed, before grabbing him around the neck and kissing him.

He enjoyed it thoroughly, putting his arms around her and squeezing her butt appreciatively.

"Ino! Either watch the store or flirt, you can't do both!"

Ino pulled away, face red in embarrassment. "Otou-san! I'm sorry!"

Taka bowed to the older man who Ino obviously took after. "My apologies, Yamanaka-san. I shouldn't have started hitting on your daughter in your family establishment."

Ino's father looked at the young man up and down, assessing him. "Your stance and muscle tone points to you being a ninja. Are you off duty right now?"

"No, I'm retired. I was from another village and moved here since my family's business went bad and they couldn't keep up with the expenses. I wasn't a ninja until a year ago."

"You couldn't possibly have that muscle tone and practiced stance from a mere year's worth of training."

"True, but I was experimented on to quicken my fitness and my training was extreme. I could possibly become a doctor at the ninja hospital if I wished to get a steady job, since I am rather talented in that area of ninjutsu."

"Oh, so you're formerly a medical ninja, are you? Perhaps you should give Ino some pointers. Wherever you're from, your papers as a civilian must check out, so I accept you as a potential suitor for my little girl."

Ino's blush darkened and she protested, "Otou-saaaaan! You're embarrassing me!"

"I'll watch the shop, Ino. Go and have some fun."

The blonde girl squeaked a little when Taka took her out of the shop onto the streets. She looked at her hands and murmured, "I'm sorry that my father interrogated you. He's not supposed to do that to civilians."

"I'm fine with being questioned. I am new here, after all."

"So you were…experimented on? Were you tangled up with Orochimaru?"

"Yes, but it was unwilling. If you'd believe it, I used to be a weak, geeky boy up to a year ago. I wore glasses with lenses so thick that they looked like the bottoms of glass bottles. I was rescued from the hideout Team Kakashi raided in their search for the Uchiha."

"You're a medical ninja, too? So you were trained by Kabuto?"

"Yes, I was. In fact, my skills are very sharp because of his harsh training. I'm about as good with medical ninjutsu as he is now. Would you like some lessons on how to improve your ability as a medical ninja?"

"Of course, Taka-san! Kabuto was able to take on Tsunade-sama and almost won! You must be excellent in your chakra control!"

"Yes, mine is almost faultless. Perhaps we should spar some to assess your skills, Ino-san."

Unfortunately, the spar didn't last long and ended up being a make-out session. The physical draw between the two was extraordinary, their chemistry perfect for each other. Ino didn't hold anything back and Taka took everything he could.

"Ino!" a young man's voice called, sounding lazy.

"Hey Ino, you around?" another echoed, sounding a bit muffled by something.

She looked over Taka's shoulder and murmured, "My teammates, Shikamaru and Choji. I shouldn't let them see me like this."

He lifted her wordlessly and leapt into the branches of a tree they'd been leaning against. He masked their presence and they watched as the pair of ninja came into the clearing, Shikamaru with his hands behind his head and Choji stuffing his face with chips. They looked around for a few minutes before Choji shrugged. "Her dad did say she was training her medical ninjutsu and taijutsu. Perhaps they moved."

"I see signs of a spar, but not very many, almost as if it was very short. How troublesome."

Ino rolled her eyes but didn't react otherwise.

"I guess we can train by ourselves here," Choji assented.

"Nah, I'd rather go watch the clouds. C'mon, Choji."

The pair left and Taka waited to make sure they were gone before landing on the ground at the base of the tree. He put Ino on her feet and she wobbled a little, her hand coming to cradle the small of her back. He placed an arm around her and murmured, "Ino-san, I feel something different when I'm with you, even if we've just met."

"I do as well. I want to be boyfriend and girlfriend with you, Taka-san. I wouldn't even be this way with the other boy I liked. You're so much better."

"Thanks, you were amazing, too."

* * *

Within the next two weeks, Ino was in ecstasy over her new lover. She hummed and danced when she was alone, more in love than anyone who knew her had seen her before. Her teammates had never seen her this happy, which made them concerned that this might be a temporary thing before she exploded and went on a homicidal rampage.

"Hey Ino," Shikamaru murmured when they were on a mission.

"Yes, Shikamaru?" she answered with a blissful smile.

"What's with you these past two weeks?"

She giggled, then sighed contentedly. "I'm in love."

The lazy Chunin nearly fell off the branch he was standing on. "You made a move on Ryo?"

She shook her head, blushing deeply as she explained, "I've found I like the loose-haired, glasses-wearing type. I thought I liked Ryo-kun, but this guy he's…more than anything I imagined with Ryo-kun. He's not just cute, he's hot, steamy, and isn't afraid of anything."

"What you mean, Ino?" Choji asked.

"I mean he's not afraid to show me he adores me. And he knows what he's doing when we have—"

Shikamaru covered her mouth to stop her. "We don't have to know all the details, Ino. What's the guy's name?"

"Taka."

"No last name?"

"He says his past is irrelevant and he'd gladly take on my name when we get married."

The two young men exchanged a look behind her back. Choji laid a hand on her shoulder. "Ino, maybe you should come down from Cloud Nine and think this over. This guy seems really shady. No one's seen or heard of this guy besides you and he doesn't talk about his past. Is he a ninja?"

"He was formerly a ninja and was rescued from the clutches of Orochimaru a little more than two weeks ago."

"You should ask those who rescued him if he was actually working for that snake. This isn't waving any red flags? He hasn't been here long, he's connected with Orochimaru, he doesn't talk about his past or give you his family name. He might be taking advantage of you to take you back as a test subject for Orochimaru."

"Taka would never do that to me! He loves me just as much as I do him!"

"Has he ever told you?"

"Every day!"

"When?"

"Just after we make love."

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "A guy who does that wants you for your body, not your heart."

"Yeah," Choji agreed. "You should confront him about this. Do you know where he lives?"

"No, he's never taken me to his apartment," the blonde young woman admitted.

"That might be a sign that he's cheating on you," Shikamaru pointed out.

"He's never shown interest in any other girl besides me, even when we walk out in public."

"But he might be wrapped up in so many lies that he might not even know what the truth is anymore."

Ino bit her lip in thought, not sure how to take this. If her perfect Taka was a cheater, how would she be able to know? She didn't know where he lived, what he did when he wasn't with her, or anything. Perhaps this might be too good to be true. "Should I spy on him?"

"We'll help you if you want," Choji offered. "We're your friends and teammates, after all."

"All right, you guys. When we get back from this mission, I'll let you help me with this."

"We'd better get moving, then," Shikamaru ordered. "We want to catch this guy red-handed and then you can beat him up with his other girlfriend."

After Ino's "date" with Taka, she joined Shikamaru and Choji as they tailed him back to a non-descript apartment.

"Now that we've found out where he lives, what should we do now?" Ino asked.

"We wait until he comes back out or someone comes to his door," Shikamaru replied.

* * *

An hour later, someone emerged from the apartment, but it wasn't Taka. It was Ryo, who was rubbing his forehead a little and muttering.

"What the…what's Ryo doing in Taka's apartment?!" Choji exclaimed.

At the exclamation, Ryo jerked and snapped his head in the trio's direction. His eyes zeroed in on them and he used his Body Flicker to appear in front of them. He crossed his arms and demanded, "Why are you spying on me?"

Shikamaru was the only one who didn't jump back at his sudden appearance. He'd heard how powerful Ryo had become during his year-long mission as an ANBU. Choji hadn't been at his quietest either, so even less-sensitive ninja could've heard him. He knew Ryo could report them for spying on an ANBU and have them detained, so he told the truth. "We were following a guy named Taka around because we suspect him of suspicious activities. We didn't know you were roommates with him, Ryo."

"Taka? Hmmm." Ryo cradled his stomach for a moment before shaking his head.

Ino stood up and asked, "If you know Taka, would you know of his activities, like if he has more than one girlfriend?"

"Are you seeing him, Ino?" Ryo asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, I am," she mumbled, blushing. "We've been dating seriously for two weeks."

At that news the Uchiha young man paled and dropped his head in his hands. He began muttering for a moment before looking up at the blonde girl. "I'm sorry to say, Ino, but Taka is leaving today and never coming back."

Her eyes widened in horror. "What?! Why?!"

"He was only out to get one thing from you, and you should go to the doctor and get your blood work done to check. I offer my condolences, but he's nothing but a fake. He was playing with you the whole time, he never seriously wanted anything to do with you besides see what a true girlfriend was like."

Ino's eyes filled with tears. "How do you know this, Ryo-kun?! Were _you_ spying on us?!"

"Let's just say that Taka and I are _very_ good acquaintances, even though we're complete opposites. I know him better than you do, plus he was only staying here on account that he wanted to make sure his experiences with you were untainted by mistrust and that he was to be killed if he tried to leave. He is and always will be a loyal servant to _Orochimaru_."

All three young men were surprised when Ino's hand flew on its own, slapping Ryo across the face.

Silence.

"HOW CAN YOU TELL ME THESE THINGS WITH SUCH COLDNESS IN YOUR VOICE?! DON'T YOU FEEL SORRY FOR ME, WHO WAS A VICTIM TO HIS DECEIT?! I GAVE UP MY VIRGINITY TO A _LIAR!_ I FELL IN LOVE WITH A _TRAITOR! _I WANT TO GO IN THERE AND TEAR HIS SPINE OUT AND BEAT HIM OVER THE HEAD WITH IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS RYO-KUN, TO LOSE _EVERYTHING_ TO A FAKER?!"

She gasped when Ryo put his arms around her, ignoring his red cheek as he held her close. "Ino, I feel your pain. I know what it feels like to be betrayed by the one you love. If it would make you feel better, I'll go with you to see…"

Ino nodded and he led her to the hospital, where she had her blood drawn and tested. She held Ryo's hand as the nurse came in and smiled.

"Congratulations Yamanaka-san, you're pregnant."

* * *

Ryo stood in his apartment, beating his head against one of his walls. "Idiot, idiot, IDIOT! YOU IDIOT, RYO!"

By this time he'd coughed up the food pill containing "Taka" and destroyed it, but held onto his glasses, not able to bring himself destroy them. All because of that food pill that he'd forgotten to take out after his mission, the worst had happened. He was such an empty-headed moron!

He tensed when he heard a light knock on the door, fearing the worst. "I am so dead, deader than dead."

Sakura came in, smiling at him until she saw what he was doing. "Ryo, why are you beating your head against the wall?"

"I'm stupid, just so stupid," he groaned, sliding down the wall into a crouch, hugging his legs.

"What happened that you feel this way? Did you fail on a mission?"

"No."

"…okaaaay… Let's see…um… Did you trip over something in a moment of klutziness?"

"No."

"Did you forget something important?"

"Yes."

"What was that?"

"It was an important object to my mission that I was supposed to destroy right after returning to Konohagakure no Sato."

"Did it fall into enemy hands?"

"No."

"Did you lose it?"

"No…mostly."

" 'Mostly'?"

"Yes, I can't elaborate on that."

"I guess you got it back, right?"

"Yes."

"So why are you acting like the world is going to end?"

"It did something that cannot be undone."

Sakura came over to him and crouched behind him, putting her arms around his shoulders. "Is it permanent?"

"It might as well be."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"No, it's classified."

"S-class?"

"Yes."

"But if you can't tell anyone, how are you supposed to get this off your chest?"

"Kill myself."

She shoved him hard, smacking him against the wall. "UCHIHA RYO! What kind of talk is that?! Don't you speak of suicide when you have so much to live for! You have your friends, your brothers, ME! Now turn around and face me so I can beat some sense into that depressed brain of yours!"

He turned and she gasped as she saw his bruised cheek, his eyes deadened by guilt and near-blank expression. She hugged him and cried, "I can't hit you when you look like that, Ryo! Please don't look at me this way, you're gonna make me cry!"

He buried his face in her hair and held her close. "I'm sorry, I might be like this for a few days until I can dig myself out of this rut."

"Then I'll stay with you. I can't let you be alone during all this."

"Thank you."

* * *

Exactly three days later, Ryo sat up in bed, sighing with determination in his eyes. "Today's the day I'm over this."

He gasped when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. Sakura's voice whispered, "Good morning, Ryo."

He smiled a little and turned to kiss her forehead. "Good morning, Sakura."

"So, are you finally feeling better?"

"Yes, I'll be getting out of bed today."

"Good. Come on, we'll go out for breakfast before going to Shishou's office to report in, since I made sure to put us on inactive status until you were better."

"Thank you for helping me during this hard time."

"It was a little scary, but I can see you're getting better."

He got up and pulled his shirt on, brushing his hair before tying it back. He quickly wrote a report of what happened between Taka and Ino and the unfortunate results, before sealing it and tucking it away. He put his black contacts in and tied his forehead protector on. He forced a grim smile to come to his lips, which was all he could manage at the time.

When he turned around, Sakura was ready to go also, and she held out her hand to him. He took it, letting her lead him out and to the restaurant that he had taken her to on their first date. She smiled as she looked around and asked, "Do you remember when you took us here on our first date? How nervous you were?"

"Yes, I caused quite a catastrophe, I was so on edge."

"Would you remind me of the order things went again?"

"I dropped my chopsticks, fell backwards in my chair because my foot caught in the legs, a waitress carrying a full tray tripped over me and food and drinks flew everywhere. Then a waiter, trying to clean up the mess, tripped two more waitresses with full trays that got all over all the other customers but us. It was all I could do to get us out of here before the customers and the owner killed me for such a mess."

She giggled and he smiled wanly. "Now I remember! I was laughing so hard that I thought I was going to faint from lack of breath!"

"I never thought I would have two clumsy moments in less than a minute that would have such cataclysmic results. It was so embarrassing."

"If the owner recognizes you, then the worst he can do is throw us out. Did you write a report for Shishou's eyes only?"

"That's classified, Sakura. Sorry."

Their meal went well, although the owner's eye twitched at seeing Ryo, clearly recognizing him but not wanting to kick out a customer. She paid to his chagrin and they headed towards the Hokage Tower. Just as they passed the Yamanaka flower shop, he placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"I need to go in for a moment, would you wait here?"

She nodded in confusion, stepping back as he went inside. He saw Ino at the counter, looking rather miserable. He selected two flowers and went over to her, murmuring, "Please wrap each up separately."

Without looking up, she did as asked and held her hand out for the money. He placed the proper amount into her palm before holding out one of the flowers to her. She gasped and looked up, her eyes widening before softening at seeing it was him. She took the yellow rose and held it to her face, a small smile appearing on her face. "Message accepted, Ryo-kun. Is there anything else you wanted?"

"How are you coping with all this?"

"I'm miserable and the morning sickness has started up. I feel terrible, to say the least. I just wish I could see him just once more to give him a good smack in the face. To leave me when I find out I'm pregnant with his child, he's a scumbag. He doesn't deserve to live, but I think if I was able to hit him, I'd be able to forgive him and myself. Are you going to support me through this?"

"As best I can. I should've known he was going to do this to you. If only—"

"Stop. There was nothing you could've done. It's not your fault. You had nothing to do with this."

He bowed to her before she could stop him. "For his sake, I sincerely apologize."

She shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't try to shoulder his sins, Ryo-kun. Just please, you've done enough for today. Go, you can visit some other time."

He straightened up and nodded. "Thank you for your time, Ino-chan."

She managed to smile although the pain still shone in her eyes. "You're welcome, Ryo-kun."

He walked out, holding out the red rose to Sakura. She smiled and beamed.

"Thanks, Ryo! It's beautiful! What's it for?"

"It's just a reminder that I love you."

"I don't need a reminder."

"Humor me."

She raised her eyebrows and when he didn't offer any further explanation, she shrugged and followed him as he began heading towards the Hokage Tower again.

They arrived in good time, entering when bidden. Tsunade looked up at their appearance and greeted, "Sakura, Ryo. I take it that you want to come back onto active ninja status?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"Good. Sakura, you're needed at the hospital so report there immediately. Ryo, you will stay here for your next mission."

Both bowed and Sakura exited. The blonde Hokage narrowed her eyes and held out her hand. "You have a report for me?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well then, let's have it."

He held out the small scroll and she opened it before reading it. Her expression didn't change for a moment, even as she finished reading. When she looked up at him, she was deadly serious. "This information is now strictly S-class in level. The whole truth can only be known by you and Yamanaka. You must inform her of all the details."

"But Hokage-sama—"

She stood up, slamming her palm against her desk. "No buts, Ryo! If it's found out inadvertently by a doctor that 'Taka's' child is in fact _yours_, every enemy of yours will target her and the unborn child! If you still think it's not right, I'll consider this an S-class mission! You _must_ protect her and provide for her during this pregnancy and after! _Do you understand me_?"

He heaved a sigh and bowed to her. "Yes Hokage-sama, even though it's going to be difficult to get her to understand the whole story without her trying to beat me to a bloody pulp."

"No excuses, no whining! Now get going before _I'm_ the one who beats you bloody!"

He walked out before she could make good her threat. He rubbed his face and muttered, "I am in so much trouble."

Ryo went back to the flower shop, every step closer felt like he was walking towards his own execution. Ino was going to _kill_ him. Well, he hadn't exactly lied to her, Taka was merely a tool for espionage that had gone out of control. If he kept it strictly mission-like without emotions getting in the way, he might get out of it unscathed. As he stepped through the doorway and saw Ino's still-miserable expression, he wanted to kick himself. Of course it wouldn't be easy, no matter what he did! She was heartbroken over Taka's disappearance, she was sick from her unexpected pregnancy, that was a double-whammy!

Ino looked up and blinked a little before she began, "I thought I told you—"

"I'm here on orders from the Godaime," he cut in. "If you would come with me, there is something I must tell you in private."

"O-okay, just a minute." She took off her apron for work and stepped inside the back to call her mother to tell her she was going on a mission before she came back. "Let's go."

He took her to his apartment, which made her uneasy as he locked the door and began using techniques to secure the room. "Um…Ryo-kun, what's going on?"

"When I say 'private', I mean I'm about to reveal S-class information, concerning you, me and Taka."

"I thought you told me he was working for Orochimaru and left because of that! Shouldn't you be out looking for him?"

"That isn't true. If you're to know the truth, I must start at the beginning, which was one year previous to this."

"Ryo-kun? What's wrong? Why aren't you facing me?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder, which made him shiver. He closed his eyes and recalled with perfect clarity all the experiences between Taka and her, almost as if he himself had gone through them. "Ino-chan, please, remove your hand. It's already hard enough for me without any distractions."

The blonde young woman did as asked, fidgeting a little, since he hadn't asked her to sit anywhere.

"One year ago I took on my first mission as an ANBU, which consisted of taking on a false identity, infiltrating Orochimaru's hideout and learning all his secrets. The disguise couldn't be a normal transformation, because Orochimaru and his minions are too smart for that. It had to go all the way down to the chakra. So the Hokage fashioned for me a food pill that I took and with a burst of chakra, I transformed into someone that wasn't even a ninja, he was so clumsy. He wore thick glasses, his hair down, his bangs clipped back. Of course, with that came a new name—"

"No, stop now! Don't go any further!" Ino cried, realizing where he was going. "It's not true!"

"—which was decided on as 'Taka'," he continued, slipping on Taka's glasses, pulling out his hair tie, sliding his bangs behind his ears, changing his voice and expression. He turned around and smiled. "Hello, Ino."

"YOU CAN'T BE TAKA! THAT WOULD MEAN—"

"Yes and no at the same time. During those two weeks you spent with him had me asleep at the back of my mind. Until afterwards, I had no clue he had taken over. So, in all actuality, _I _am the father of your baby."

"But I fell out of love with you! I love Taka! And he betrayed me!"

"No, I just had to make an excuse so you would stop chasing him. All his memories are inside me, although I had to destroy him as soon as I found out what happened. I feel guilty for being careless, but what's done is done, and according to Hokage-sama, I have to take care of you and provide for you as a future wife and the mother of my child. No one can know about this, so you can't go to a doctor, you can't go to Sakura, you can't reveal anything that's happened here unless you want to be executed for revealing S-class information."

She punched him in the mouth, tears almost spilling over. "How dare you talk so callously about all this! We're going to be parents in less than nine months and you talk as if it's merely a 'mission'! I don't care if we don't love each other or if some other personality of yours caused this! You're a medical ninja on par with Sakura and Tsunade-sama! Since I can't take missions anymore without causing harm to the baby, _you_ have to bring in all the money! So start taking care of me, body and soul!"

He sighed, taking off his glasses and letting his hair fall into his face. He took her into an embrace that had her staring at him before holding him back, running her fingers through his hair. "As I said in the beginning, it's hard for me to express this without Taka's memories getting in the way. He really loved you with all he had, Ino."

She grabbed his bleeding face and kissed him full on the mouth, making him groan a little as he felt his body react to the feel of her. She parted from him, blood on her lips as she smiled. "Then that means a small part of you loves me, I can tell by your reaction."

He nodded before bringing her in for another kiss.

* * *

A wrench has been tossed! How will Sakura react to all this? _Will_ she find out?

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine!

Answer to an anonymous review: I'm sorry you feel that way, but it is what it is. I was planning this all along.

On with the story! I hope you all like it!

* * *

Six months passed, and the death of Itachi was confirmed by the combined teams who had gone to search for Sasuke. But Sasuke himself had vanished without a trace, although Hinata had seen him severely injured with her Byakugan.

Meanwhile, Ryo had kept his Eternal Mangekyo hidden while taking care of Ino and dating Sakura. He'd fallen for both the girls, and knew it was his right as one of the last Uchiha to restore his clan by having more than one wife, even though Sakura didn't, couldn't, know about Ino being pregnant with his child unless she were to marry him. He'd already married Ino when she was four months along, so Ino had been sharing his apartment for two months. He didn't wear his wedding band on his finger, but on a long chain hidden beneath his shirt. His wife knew why he was doing so, but didn't say anything. She was happy that she'd gotten to marry him even though it wasn't through complete love yet.

But this day, Ryo had it for himself. He knelt at a shrine he'd constructed, incense burning and flowers lay in front of it. He bowed his head and pressed his hands together in a steeple. He thought of many things to say, but none stayed very long. The last time he'd seen his brother had been when he'd become an ANBU.

_Ryo blinked as he was presented with the necklace he'd always admired on Itachi. "Nii-san, I don't understand."_

"_I got this necklace when I became an ANBU, now I want to pass it on to you," the elder Uchiha stated, smiling._

"_But…why?"_

"_You still don't understand? Fine then, I'll explain further. You've followed in my footsteps this far, but now I want you to make your own choices. Don't become Madara's pawn as I have. Don't let him get to you as he might to Sasuke. This necklace will be a reminder of your dear Nii-san's stupid decisions and an example of what path you should never take."_

"_I promise to never do so, cross my heart and hope to die."_

"_I'd call for a pinky swear, but I don't think guys do that between themselves."_

_Ryo snorted and nodded. "That's true. I'll really swallow a thousand needles if I break this very important oath to you."_

"_That would kill you."_

"_I'll do it if it would pay for lying to you."_

_Itachi rumpled his little brother's bangs. "I wish that was the worst thing Sasuke wanted to do, lie to me, but I'm afraid it won't happen. The end for me draws closer all the time, whether or not Sasuke is the one who causes it."_

_The younger Uchiha frowned playfully at his brother's affectionate gesture combined with such grave words. "I don't think I could ever kill you, even if you hadn't told me the truth."_

"_You might not think so, but had I not, you'd be a mirror of Sasuke or worse because of the Eternal Mangekyo you were forced into having."_

"_I wish I could tell him right now, but this is all for him. I'll plant the seed of light into his heart and it'll be all up to him whether or not he decides to nourish it or not. So many choices for poor Sasuke to make, but no help will come from me other than that. I can't meddle in the final fight between you two, even if I want to save you both."_

"_For you to be man enough to say that, it took a lot of courage, Ryo. I'm very proud of you, more than Otou-san ever was of me."_

_Ryo beamed at his beloved sibling, showing his child self in a rare moment of complete happiness. "Thanks, Nii-san."_

He would mourn for Itachi, but he was even more saddened by the news that Sasuke hadn't returned to Konohagakure no Sato as of yet, even if it was to have a trial ending in his execution. Perhaps Sasuke was too far gone to the darkness to return to the light, even if the truth had been revealed to him by the right source, instead of being twisted by Madara, their true enemy. And Ryo knew that if Madara couldn't get his grubby hands on himself, he would do anything he could to get Sasuke on his side. Then again, he probably knew right away that Sasuke wasn't the one he'd tortured into possessing Eternal Mangekyo once he'd found out he'd betrayed Konohagakure no Sato to go to Orochimaru.

Poor Sasuke, such things he had to go through, just because he was of Uchiha blood. They seemed to invite misfortune, not that he'd done anything to stop things like that from happening. The probable situation he was in was mostly his fault for seeking power at the wrong source. But if the report of him becoming an Akatsuki came in, Ryo would go after him to kill him, to end his misery so he wouldn't suffer any longer. It wouldn't be an easy fight, but a necessary one.

"Ryo, you're so tense," Ino murmured, rubbing his stiff shoulders. "I know you're mourning for your eldest brother, but please, don't get too into it. I won't let you give up on life and leave me alone to deal with what you left behind."

He opened his eyes and relaxed. "Ino, I wasn't going to sink into despair. Don't worry, I promised to take care of you, and I don't break my promises." In a smooth motion, he turned around so he was kneeling in front of his wife and placed a hand on her rounded stomach. Chakra glowed around his spread fingers as he probed the fetus' condition, closing his eyes in concentration. He smiled a little and announced, "The baby's doing well, getting bigger by the day."

She smiled in relief, hooking her fingers around the edges of the glasses he wore (only around her) and flipping them up so they rested on the top of his head. "I can't decide which look makes you sexier: with the glasses or without the glasses."

"You so round with child makes _you_ all the more irresistible, Uchiha-_san_," he whispered back, smirking. "I know you like my nickname: 'Megane-kun'."

He placed his arms around her, his smirk widening to a grin as she blushed. He was about to kiss her when a set of knocks sounded through his door. He sighed and nodded to her. She retreated to the closet as he went to the door, forgetting his glasses that still sat on the top of his head. He opened the entrance to his flat and smiled.

"Sakura, how are you this lovely day?"

She placed her hands on her hips. "I know you're troubled over the fact that Sasuke-kun hasn't returned after killing Itachi-san, Ryo. We don't know if he's alive or dead."

"So you want to see if I'm mourning over my brother's supposed death?"

"No, I know you are. It's written all over your face."

"Sasuke's mental condition is still up in the air, considering he's completed his revenge, but in this aftermath, does he feel empty inside? Is there an overwhelming sorrow? Or has he decided to put it behind him? His physical condition on the other hand, he's too tough to die that easily. I know he's alive and kicking."

"How are you so sure?"

"I know Sasuke like I know myself. He's probably stronger than I am at this point, even if he was beaten to a pulp by Nii-san."

"You still call him that, even if he was a traitor?"

"Now that Nii-san is deceased, I must protest that deduction of him. Uchiha Itachi was no traitor. He was a hero of our village."

Her eyes widened at the surety in her boyfriend's voice. "How do you know? Who told you?"

"Nii-san told me, and I know him better than almost anyone else in the village, even Sasuke. Unfortunately, unless certain people are rid of, I cannot reveal the truth to you, save you were of Uchiha name."

"You mean that I'd have to marry you? Now?"

"Yes, now. Now is probably all I have, since this is more than likely the calm before the storm."

"You expect Sasuke not to return to Konohagakure no Sato?"

"No."

"Don't you believe in him?"

"Even though I'm optimistic, that doesn't mean I haven't given him enough chances. If he's gone for another week, he won't be coming back unless it's to destroy Konohagakure no Sato and everyone in it."

"I'll ask again, how do you know this?"

"And I'll repeat: I know Sasuke like I know myself. If I were in his place, only the slightest push in the wrong direction would cause me to fall into darkness. If I know the cause of his disappearance, then it's already happened, no matter about my meddling in his decision. We're complete opposites, only because of when we were given certain information about Nii-san which cannot be revealed unless we're to marry."

"Why don't you tell Shishou about this?"

"If I do, and it's only speculation, it could cause civil war in Konohagakure no Sato, and that is something that isn't needed at this time. If I know the Akatsuki, they'll be coming after Naruto next and that won't be a fun thing. So, are we going to marry or not?"

Sakura placed her hands behind her back and smiled. "I didn't think it would be this soon, but okay!"

"Do you want the ceremony to be formal, or do you want to elope?"

"I'm ready for some recklessness, let's elope!"

"Pack a weekend bag and meet me at the nearest gate, we're getting married in two hours."

Sakura ran off, grinning for all she was worth, and Ryo closed the door, blinking as he noticed the glasses fall from his head and landing on the tip of his nose.

"Did she notice me wearing these?"

Ino came out of her hiding place. "She probably thought they were reading glasses or some fetish you have."

He pushed the spectacles up to their proper place and grinned. "I need to pack for my second wedding, do you approve of my choice, Uchiha Ino?"

"Of course! Sakura's my best friend! I would gladly share you with her!"

"Thank you, Ino. You're a saint."

"Not a saint, just a girl in love. I love you and I know you love Sakura, also I know that because you love her, you chose her as your second wife by choice. You _had_ to marry me because I was already pregnant with your kid, but not so with Sakura. Although I do wonder what she's gonna do once she finds out you're a bigamist and perhaps even a polygamist."

"It's part of the clan restoration duties. If Sasuke was here, he'd have to take two, three, maybe even four wives, if he was willing. I'm willing to suffer through your arguments if you promise that you'll still be best friends after I marry her."

"Do you think you'll marry a third girl?"

"If I do, then I'm going to consult you both on who I should choose that would be harmonious with you two."

"Let's just hope Sakura doesn't want to fight me over the right of who gets to be the main wife, because I'm not willing to fight her right now, or ever. I want to put our rivalry behind me, because being married to you has mellowed my personality drastically. You've noticed how much calmer I am, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have. I don't want any fights, especially with you so heavily pregnant."

"Okay, go on. I want you back in a month, the longest. If you get back any later, I'm coming after you."

He waved to her as he left, using Body Flicker to get to Sakura quickly. She looked up to see her boyfriend as he appeared and smiled. "That was fast. Now, shall we go?"

He snickered as he put his arm around her. "That's supposed to be my line. Come on, this isn't a mission, so Hokage-sama isn't going to be happy when she finds out we left the village without permission."

He took her hand and used Body Flicker to get out of the village quickly. When that was done, they traveled to the nearest town to have their quick wedding. Sakura gasped when she was presented with a beautiful ring.

"You planned on me saying yes?" she asked as he slipped it on her finger.

"I knew that with how we've been waiting and how unstable things are, there was a large chance. Besides, if you'd said no now, I would've waited for you."

Tears went down her cheeks as she kissed him, overjoyed with how much he loved her. "Thank you, Ryo. Let's make this honeymoon the best one ever."

* * *

A month later they returned, sneaking back to his apartment with her draped over his shoulders and staring at him with complete love. He knew the expression on her face wouldn't last once the complete truth came out, but he would never abandon Ino. He'd also deduced that during their honeymoon Sakura had conceived, but he hadn't told her yet. If she'd checked on her own, as a top medical ninja should when she's still on active duty, then she would've found out, too. She hadn't said anything against having children right away, but with how things might turn out in the near future, she would have to quit being a ninja, just like Ino, to keep her baby safe.

He closed the door behind them and flipped on the light, dropping his bag at the foot of his bed, Sakura stretching as he walked to the right side of the bed. He smiled and placed a hand on Ino's shoulder, shaking her awake. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"You're finally back."

"You did say a month the longest."

Sakura froze at the voice and turned to see Ino getting out of _Ryo's bed._ She then shrieked, "INO-PIG?! WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?! THIS IS RYO'S APARTMENT!"

Ino rubbed her head. "I think that was apparent the moment Ryo opened it with his key. Would you stop screaming already? It's giving me a headache."

Ryo placed a hand on her rounded stomach, chakra glowing as he checked the condition of the baby. His concerned expression softened to happiness as he found it was all right. "Everything seems to be fine, Ino. Did Hokage-sama come to check on you?"

"Yeah, she came around a couple times."

The pink-haired young woman started popping veins before she demanded, "What the heck is going on here, Ryo?! Are you cheating on me already?!"

Ryo held up a hand. "No, that isn't it at all. If you must know the truth, then you have to know _everything_."

Sakura put her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot. "All right, I'm waiting."

The Uchiha teen sat down and began his tale.

* * *

After a couple of hours, Sakura stared at her new husband in shock. "Y-you expect me to believe this? When you've hidden your relationship with Ino from me for _seven months?"_

"I do, because now that you know this, we can't get divorced. The conditions of me taking on any wife is that I am completely honest with her and have her in the know. You are now an Uchiha and my second wife. You carry my baby."

Both Ino and Sakura gasped, before Sakura placed a glowing hand on her stomach. Her eyes widened as she confirmed Ryo's claim. Ino got up and whispered, "Excuse me," before running into the bathroom.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's been horribly sick during this whole pregnancy. Not just morning nausea like you. Either she doesn't take to being pregnant well, or her body has to get used to being pregnant after this first time. We've tried everything to get her to stop throwing up, but nothing really works. By how you've been these past two weeks, I can tell your pregnancy is going to be easier."

"Ryo, I have to know, do you love me?"

"What kind of question is that? Haven't I shown you? I wasn't forced to marry you, I married you because I wanted to. I felt no sense of obligation or guilt with you. Ino, on the other hand, I'm learning to love her, and she knows it. In truth, she knows I'll always love you more."

He got up from his seat on the bed and went to his drawers, picking up his glasses, twirling them around once before unfolding them and slipping them on. Sakura stared at the glasses and frowned a little as she gave them a thorough speculation.

"You don't wear glasses, Ryo."

"It's more out of habit and for Ino than anything. She does say she likes me better with them on."

"Is the Taka incident still haunting your relationship?"

"Of course, that's what caused this arrangement. I was planning on just marrying you in a few years and having several children with you, but it seems that luck is against me. Now I have two wives that are both going to have a baby. Ino's already retired as a ninja so she can rest and raise our child once it's born, but what will you do?"

"Until I'm showing, I plan to do as I've always done."

"Remember, overusing your chakra isn't good for the baby."

"I know that! I've tended to many ninja mothers these past couple years!"

"Just because you have doesn't mean you'll remember in the heat of battle or in the middle of a hospital full of injured people."

"Are you going to help if there's an emergency as well?"

"That's something that will be decided on where I am at the time. If I get caught in battle, I'm fighting, but if not, I'll race to the hospital. I am an expert medical ninja, after all, being taught by the best."

"I'm so glad you're on our side, you're like Itachi and Kabuto mixed together."

"True, but that doesn't mean I'm infallible. I just hope that what I fear doesn't come to pass sooner than I thought."

"What's that?"

"I've heard of this Pain that killed Jiraiya-sama. If he comes after Naruto, things won't end well."

"You really think he's that powerful?"

"Yes."

"Considering that Sasuke hasn't returned, by your deduction, he's turned against us."

"Yes."

Sakura then smirked. "Well, there's one thing that's going to freak you out more than any of that."

"What?"

"You have to tell Naruto about this whole thing."

"He's my best friend, but if I was to tell him, he would pound me, first of all, then he'd go after Sasuke straight away. I can't have him getting himself killed just to bring back my wayward brother. If someone has to deal with him, I will."

"But Ryo, Naruto doesn't have as much to lose as you do! You have me, Ino, and two children that we're going have, me just starting, but Ino is well on the way to having hers!"

"It's true, but I'm the only one strong enough to deal with him and the true enemy that Nii-san told me of."

"Who?"

"Uchiha Madara."

* * *

When I was writing this, I still believed Obito was Madara, so this will be rather out of date. Also, some of the powers of the Eternal Magekyo Sharingan will be weird. I hope you all can bear with me on this!

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

I dunno what else to say, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Ryo's fears came to pass only a couple days afterwards, Ryo helping Ino to one of the shelters before he rushed to the Hokage's office in full ANBU uniform. She nodded to him.

"Kitsune, it's good that you're here. Your skills are what we need to try and repel the intruders."

"Hokage-sama, where should I help? The defenders or at the hospital?"

"We're short-handed on both sides, but I would appreciate it if you were able to defeat at least a couple of intruders while you're headed to the hospital."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

He used Body Flicker to get to the nearest of the enemy ninja, slipping his mask to the right and unleashed Amaterasu on the enemy, using Body Flicker before he could be noticed. He did the same to a second before heading to the hospital, his chakra one-third down because of the consecutive Mangekyo techniques. He arrived at Konoha Hospital in record time, entering and beginning to heal many of the wounded without being asked, lightening the work that the others had to do, including his second wife.

Sakura only noticed him after he'd stopped healing and recognized his mask. "Oh, Kitsune-san, are you here to help with the wounded?"

He nodded and began tending to the wounded the old-fashioned way, applying bandages, splints and other such things. She nodded in acceptance and continued with her own work. But when she checked on most of the patients around her, she noticed that they'd been healed to the point that all they needed was rest to cure themselves. She stared in amazement, wondering who had done this, since she knew that she was the best medical ninja present, unless—

Her eyes landed on "Kitsune", watching him as he worked without any fumbling and at twice the speed the other medics were. She watched him as she continued working, suspicious as to his identity because of his skills. Who else besides Tsunade was this skilled and had the rank of ANBU? It did make sense, considering that she'd seen "Taka" turn into "Kitsune" after the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke. At that, she smiled and concentrated more on her patients.

* * *

Once things were taken care of at the time being, Ryo stood and nodded to Sakura before leaving to go and report back to the Hokage. He appeared in front of her and found her on her last legs.

"Hokage-sama."

"Kitsune, you have to help the wounded out there now or else there will be more casualties than there are right now! How much chakra do you have left?"

"About half, Hokage-sama."

"Good, now go!"

He nodded and went out into the battlefield again, searching for any wounded and stabilizing them, which was all he could do with how many injured there were throughout the village. He was on the very outskirts of the village tending to the grievously hurt there, when an enormous shockwave made him fall on his back, his eyes wide as he got up, seeing that there was now a large sinkhole in the place of most of the village.

If this is the power that Pain had, all he had to say was—

"We're toast."

* * *

After Naruto disposed of Pain, he spotted Sakura approaching the ANBU Kitsune, who he had heard was the best healer besides his teammate and a powerhouse ninja all around, at full tilt, when he saw a glitter from her left hand. He smiled a little when he figured that she must've married Ryo while he was gone. He'd have to congratulate her right now. He blinked when she stopped in front of Kitsune and bowed to him.

"Thank you for helping so much with the battle and at the hospital," she said with a smile as she raised herself back up. "If not for you, many good ninjas would've died."

Kitsune placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded to Naruto. The pink-haired young woman beamed at the sight of her teammate, running over to him.

"Naruto! I'm so glad you came out okay!"

"Hey, Sakura-chan. So you finally tied the knot with Ryo? I'm glad."

"Thanks, Naruto."

"Where's Ryo right now? I haven't seen him in forever."

"He's around, I'm sure you'll—"

Ryo, now unmasked because everyone was safe, ran over to Naruto. "Naruto!"

The blonde young man grinned. "Ryo! It's good to see you, buddy! You're now married to Sakura-chan! I'm thankful you both survived this battle."

"Me too—"

"Uchiha-san! Uchiha-san!"

A Chunin came over and whispered in the young man's ear. Ryo's eyes widened before he nodded.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I have to cut this reunion short. Someone's in trouble and I need to attend to her with Sakura. Come."

Sakura rushed with him to the safe house where he shouldered through the people to get to Ino, who was gasping for breath and holding her stomach. He went to her and placed a hand on the baby, his chakra probing through his first wife's womb to see what was wrong. Sakura held her friend's wrist, checking her pulse. The pair worked flawlessly together before Ryo sighed. "We have to get you to the hospital, Ino. If we don't stop your labor soon, you could lose the baby. Sakura, where's the Hokage?"

"She's not well after the battle, she won't be able to assist me."

"All right, let's go." He lifted the blonde woman with ease, even with her added weight. "Ino, can you breathe slow, deep breaths for me?"

She looked up at her husband and nodded. "I'll try my best, even if it hurts so much."

"Be calm and you'll get through this."

He wanted to reassure her more, but could not because it was forbidden for his relationship with her to be made public for obvious reasons. His very existence couldn't be found within Konoha if he was unmasked by the Akatsuki. The shadow leader of the organization hadn't made his move to capture him, so it must be because he had Sasuke in his clutches, despite that Ryo had told his brother the truth about what had happened. It made him feel as if he didn't work hard enough to get him back. But then again, he couldn't have gone off by himself against the Hokage's orders and perhaps gotten himself gravely injured before Sasuke killed Itachi.

Sakura led the way to the maternity ward, which had few rooms to spare, because so many pregnant mothers had become distressed like Ino during Pain's attack. The pink-haired medical ninja closed the door behind him as Ryo laid her on the bed and placed his hands on her heaving stomach. He closed his eyes and concentrated on calming her body, even though she was already in the late stages of labor. He gritted his teeth as her body refused to relax. He sighed and checked the baby to see it was mature enough to be delivered.

"Sakura, you'll have to assist me in the delivery. Let's just hope it's born with blonde hair and blue eyes."

Sakura snorted. "I doubt it. Your genes are much stronger than hers. It's gonna be a dark-haired, pale, onyx-eyed baby, and it's much too late to get some amniotic fluid."

Ino took Ryo's hand and whispered, "I want our baby to look just like you, Megane-kun."

"But it isn't safe, even though the Sharingan genes will more than likely dominate over the Mind Transfer genes. Please, it would be a blessing if it's your child through looks, but mine through genes."

"Let's just find out when it's born, shall we?"

* * *

After a difficult delivery, Ino rested while Ryo held their new daughter, Rin. The little girl was more like him in appearance, even though her face was a perfect blend of both her parents.

"I think she'll be a knockout Ryo," Sakura whispered, since Rin and Ino were fast asleep. "She's such a pretty baby."

"She's all right, even though she's eight weeks early. Four pounds, ten ounces."

"I hope this doesn't happen with our first baby."

Ryo stroked her hair, drawing her close while holding his firstborn with his other hand. "I won't let it, even though almost no one knows you're pregnant."

"I'm so thankful my symptoms have been mild so far."

Ryo handed the little girl to his second wife and murmured, "I'll be back."

He used Body Flicker to get to the Hokage's office and stole all records of himself, thus wiping his existence from Konohagakure no Sato's records, since he feared who would become the next Hokage should Tsunade not recover. He hid them into a storage scroll he put into a storage seal somewhere on his body. He put his mask on and drew in a deep breath.

He would keep his wives and children safe from his enemies, in and outside of Konoha.

* * *

Three days later, Ino was fully recovered from giving birth to Rin, and both mother and baby returned home (Rin was put in a transformation so she wouldn't be discovered as an Uchiha child) and Ryo spoke to both his wives.

"I'm going to leave Konohagakure no Sato for a while to go look for Sasuke."

Ino, who was nursing Rin, cried, "He's going to hurt you! He's obviously never coming back! Nii-chan can't see reason, like you said!"

"I'm coming with you, Ryo!" Sakura insisted.

"No, I'm not going to risk you getting injured and miscarrying, no matter how early in the pregnancy you are, Sakura. If I can't convince him to come back, I'm going to kill him."

His blonde wife looked down, her lips pressed in a worried line. "You were so depressed when Ani-ue died, are you sure it won't break you to lose your only other brother, no matter how evil he's become?"

Ryo kissed her cheek and assured her, "I'll come back here and will be around to raise our daughter and any other children we have." He turned to his green-eyed wife and gave her a quick peck on the lips before vowing, "I'll be back before you deliver this baby. I promise."

Both young women stared after their husband with tears running down their cheeks.

* * *

Ryo sought Sasuke and found him only a few weeks afterwards, in the company of his squad. Since he was alone, he used surprise to kick his twin in the back of the head, his team jumping back before rushing forward, only to see that Ryo had him pinned and a sword against his throat.

"Sasuke-kun!" a teenage girl around their age cried, although she didn't move.

Sasuke asked flatly, "Who are you? An assassin?"

"Perhaps," Ryo replied just as emotionlessly.

"It's an ANBU of some kind," the white-haired man of their group informed the elder Uchiha. "I don't know which village he's affiliated with, though."

"If you're not sure, why have you immobilized me?" Sasuke inquired.

"That was the only way to get you to stop without attacking me," Ryo answered. "Why have you abandoned your home village?"

"It betrayed me, destroyed my elder brother, and murdered my entire clan."

"Only some of that is true, but you seem very convinced to have vengeance. That doesn't seem to be a very logical way of thinking."

"How would you know about the Uchiha Clan, unless you're—"

Ryo slid his ANBU mask off, the three others of Sasuke's team stepping back at the sight of a face just like their leader's. "Yes Sasuke, it's me."

"It's another Sasuke-kun!" the glasses-wearing female exclaimed.

"Sasuke, who is this?" the fourth member of the team, a bulky, orange-haired man, asked.

"This is Ryo, my twin brother," Sasuke evaluated, before asking Ryo, "I noticed you haven't changed your affiliation with Konohagakure no Sato Ryo, since you're an ANBU with a sword at my throat."

"Yes, but only as long as its leader is to my liking. Right now, I'm not sure," the younger twin revealed. "But I won't join Akatsuki as you have done. My true enemy is within it."

"I'm only working for them as long as it's beneficial for me, and then I'll abandon it."

"I have no need to capture tailed beasts for an evil organization. I suppose you don't know why I don't join you on your quest."

"You were unclear as to why."

"Madara clearly wants me because he forced me to have Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan ever since my existence began. He wants to make me become his successor."

Sasuke snorted. "With how you act, why would he choose you?"

"He and I haven't met since that fateful day, and it was only because of Nii-san that I haven't turned into a worse version of you. I knew the truth from the beginning, that is why I'm here now."

Black flames suddenly engulfed the both of them, Sasuke's team shouting his name as Ryo kept his hold on his brother, whispering, "Sasuke, you might feel the need to avenge our clan, but I can't. The path of revenge is something you'll have to walk alone."

At the very last second, Ryo vanished within the flames, just as Sasuke disintegrated.

* * *

THE! END! Kidding, kidding! This story is almost done, but there's still a few things to wrap up first!

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

This is the last chapter, everyone! The sequel will be out soon!

* * *

A year passed and Sakura had given birth to a girl with the same pink hair as she with dark eyes, who she named Mikoto, after her husband's mother. Tsunade, who had realized Ryo's absence, ordered for search teams to go find him, but after so long, even she gave up, and the two seeming widows mourned for their husband.

Sakura held her cute four-month-old daughter on her hip, while Ino's one-year-old held her first two fingers as she toddled alongside her mother. The pair was out shopping to finish re-decorating one of the homes in the Uchiha compound, since, by marriage, it now belonged to them save if Ryo were to return.

"Hey Ino, you think that Nii-chan killed Ryo?" the emerald-eyed young woman asked.

Ino shook her head. "If that was so, Nii-chan would be rampaging. If you ask me, if Ryo's dead, then he took Sasuke out with him. The jerk deserved to die for everything he did."

"It's been one month since the anniversary of Ani-ue's death, and we're not sure when Nii-chan died, but—"

A crimson-haired young woman bumped into Sakura, _very_ pregnant. She squeaked and tried to bow, her glasses falling off her nose to the ground. "I—I'm so sorry, ma'am! I'm new here and I've lost track of my husband!"

Ino bent down and picked up the spectacles, dusting them off before placing them back on the flustered woman's face. "It's okay. My name's Ino, and this is Sakura. Could you describe your husband to us?"

"He's a little taller than me, dark hair down to his middle back tied to the base of his skull, red eyes, pale skin, wears all black."

All three stiffened as a man's arm came around the nameless woman's shoulders and a deep voice murmured, "Sorry for worrying you Karin, I just had to run an errand."

Both Sakura and Ino jerked at the voice and their eyes widened when the young man stepped out from behind her. Karin hugged him and squealed, "You frightened me when your chakra disappeared like that, Ryo!"

Quite a bit of the right side of his body was covered with burn scars, his Sharingan active and uncovered. Some of his hair was missing so the hairline was higher than on the right side. His smile was a little twisted on that side, so he looked a little strange. "I see you've met the rest of the family inadvertently."

Both Ino and Sakura grabbed hold of their husband and held him tight, sobbing waterfalls on his shoulders. He held each of them gently, kissing their faces and stroking his newest daughter's head in greeting. Karin was confused by the suddenness of their movements, slow because of being heavy with child.

"Um, of what relation are they? Former relationships before marrying me?"

Ino and Sakura froze at the jealous tone that laced the newest addition to their ranks. He had picked up a conceited woman to be the third wife?

Ryo let go of his two other wives and shook his head. "No, I did explain to you that being the sole male left of the Uchiha Clan, I would have to marry multiple wives to begin repopulating the Uchiha compound. What I didn't tell you that you're my _third_ wife. You're not the first."

Karin speared eye daggers at the pair and hissed, "But Ryo, we've been married for eleven months, and I've had you all to myself. Why would you have two _sluts _be your first two wives?"

Both the other Uchiha women popped veins and were about to beat up their newest companion when Ryo placed a hand on her head, frowning at her condescendingly. "Karin, I told you that you're not allowed to be jealous of the other wives I have. Am I going to have to forcibly calm you down again?"

Karin squeaked, shaking her head. "No, Ryo! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I won't do it again!"

"Besides, I saw how friendly you were with them. They're both very nice and won't treat you like an inferior. But they will tell me if you're acting like this behind my back to them or their children. I didn't marry you so you could order me or my first or second wife around. Don't make me divorce you after our child is born."

"No! No! I promise to be good and not let the green monster take hold of me!"

"Thank you, I'll hold you to that. I'll keep my promise if you step out of line even the slightest. Ino is my first wife and formerly of the Yamanaka Clan, and mother to my first child, Rin. Sakura is my second wife, but she has no clan and has mothered my second child—"

"—Mikoto," Sakura supplied.

Ryo smiled and kissed Mikoto's cheek. "I'm so sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you Sakura, I was still healing from these fierce burn scars when it happened."

"Where did you get them from?"

"I was accidentally hit by my own Amaterasu."

Ino and Sakura both winced, but Karin lowered her head and murmured, "I tried my best to heal you, Ryo."

The blonde kunoichi asked, "Karin-san's a medical ninja?"

Ryo snorted lightly. "She is in a special way. To be healed, you have to bite her and suck out her chakra. But because she was so low on chakra for a while, I was already scarring by the time she could heal me properly. I don't blame you, Karin. Then again, you only found me because you thought I was Sasuke."

Karin pouted. "I was almost disappointed that you weren't Sasuke-kun."

"What did I say about calling him that?"

"Sorry! I mean, Nii-chan!"

"Thank you."

Sakura placed her free hand on her hip. "She sure has to follow a lot of rules with you, Ryo."

"She's rather untamed when it comes to being a wife and she did have a large crush on Sasuke while she was on Team Hebi and Team Taka with him. She was used to being in charge and would only follow him, not even listening to her teammates. I can't have her being too free or she'll rule over the Uchiha Clan. I am the new head of the clan, after all. Whichever of you has a boy first, he will be named heir."

Karin cradled her stomach and had a soft look in her eyes as she cooed, "I'll give you a son first off, in fact, I'll give you _two _sons, Ryo. Sama."

"Karin, enough. With the luck I've had so far, I'll have to marry a fourth and fifth wife to have a boy."

All three of his wives turned ashen at the mention that Ryo would be marrying _again_, if not twice more, if they kept having girls. Sure the girls might have Sharingan, but only a boy could become heir to the Uchiha Clan, as per tradition. And because of the rules of repopulating a clan, the wife that had the first boy would become clan matriarch. If Karin had the first boy, (Ino and Sakura inwardly shuddered at the thought) she would have plenty of fun ordering everyone around, even if Ryo told her not to. That would be a nightmare.

"Um…Ryo…" Ino murmured.

"Yes?"

"Um…how many girls can we have until you _have_ to marry again?"

"Two for each of you. Karin's carrying twins, so if she has both girls, then she won't be able to have any more children until the both of you have another child. And if you all have girls, I'll marry a fourth wife, and if she has a pair of girls, a fifth will have to join the ranks as well. And if she has two girls—"

"NO! YOU CAN'T MARRY A SIXTH WOMAN!" the trio of wives insisted.

He sweat-dropped, before rubbing the back of his head. "I was going to say that I would start back at Ino again and go down the line, since a sixth wife would be a little too much." He sighed. "I never planned being a polygamist, I was only going to marry one, since I thought Sasuke would be around to do it for me."

Sakura placed her hands on his scarred arm and asked, "Are you going to get your skin restored?"

"Yes, since I doubt anyone would want to cuddle up with _this_."

"_I _did, Ryo!" Karin cried.

"Yes, but you were used to it. Ino and Sakura haven't seen the extent of my injuries and I don't plan on _ever_ showing them. I don't need any of you coddling me because of these scars, so I need to get going to Hokage-sama so she can start the surgery."

He walked with his three wives and two daughters to the hospital, where he was taken into an operating room to have the procedure done. After several hours, Ryo was rolled out, bandages covering the places where the scars had been. Tsunade smiled as she placed a hand on her two pupils' shoulders. "Ino, Sakura, the operation was a success and he should be healed in a week with daily healing treatment by either of you. Karin-san, I've accepted your papers as a wife of the Uchiha Clan and a resident of Konohagakure no Sato. You're going to deliver any day now, am I correct?"

The crimson-eyed young woman nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"I should watch you so that I can assist you delivering, since Ryo wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade patted her head and gave a tender smile. "You'll become an excellent mother and wonderful friend to my two apprentices here. Let's just hope one of the next three deliveries yields a boy."

Ino and Sakura nodded vigorously. Karin smiled dreamily at the thought of giving Ryo twin boys.

* * *

Ryo awoke a few hours later, eyes barely opening as Sakura was healing him. His dark eyes gazed up at her, and he smiled faintly. "Sakura…"

She smiled brightly at her husband. "You're awake. Shishou said the surgery was a success and you'll have to stay still for a week until the skin seals right. Ino and I will take care of you, since Karin is so close to delivering and can't spare any chakra."

He lifted his left hand and touched her cheek. It almost felt like a feather brushing her skin, for it had no strength behind it at all. "My eyes…seem to be sealed…"

"Shishou thought it better for all your chakra to be untapped while you're healing, just to make your body rest for the first time in five years."

"I've been looking through the Sharingan that long…now it feels like my normal eyesight in comparison is stunted, flat…there seems to be almost no perception at all…"

"Maybe the constant strain on your eyes is making your vision go bad."

"No…my eyesight is just fine…I just said 'in comparison'…the clarity of the Sharingan almost seems like my normal vision…my Sharingan has been constantly active since it first appeared with three tomoes already in place when I was twelve…almost thirteen…I've almost forgotten what normal vision looks like…"

She made a small smile at that and stroked his cheek, her fingers twitching when Karin's voice cried, "I feel Ryo's awake! I want to see him!"

"Sakura's spending some one-on-one time with him right now! You don't have to spend every second with him! Even I know when it's inappropriate to butt in!"

"She's your best friend and you've known each other longer! Of course you two know each other better, since I've only been with you for less than a day! I want to see if Ryo's all right!"

"He's probably just fine or Sakura would come out and tell us! Now come sit back down and be calm! Worrying yourself into a tizzy isn't good for you right now!"

Karin muttered something under her breath and Ino snorted.

"Takes one to know one, sweetheart. You do know that acting that way won't win you points in either Sakura's or my eyes and it wouldn't matter whether or not you're carrying one or _two_ boys, you would be out of the clan if I told Ryo what you just said."

There was a silence before Karin shrieked, "YOU'RE SO CRUEL TO DO THAT! HANGING EVERY LITTLE THING I SAY OVER MY HEAD SO I WON'T MISBEHAVE!"

"We can't have a green-eyed possessive bitch as one of the sister-wives, can we? Even Tsunade-sensei said you have the potential of being a good person if you suppress the ugly side of you. Both Sakura and I have done that so we can co-exist with each other. We both acted just like you with Ryo while he was dating her. I can tell that he won't take any more of that because he got sick of the arguing and name-calling between his wives. You might think that just because you've had him all to yourself until today makes you his favorite, it doesn't. His favorite is and always will be Sakura. He might've not told you, but he was planning on marrying just her in the beginning."

"Then why did he marry you first?"

"He married me out of duty."

"What?! He was _forced_ to marry you?!"

"I don't care to tell you about such things until you become friends with both Sakura and me. Until then, it will remain a secret. Now I would appreciate it if you shut your mouth and sat down. I want to have some quiet until Ryo requests my presence."

Karin grunted before everything went silent again.

Sakura sighed in relief and Ryo's unmarred side of his mouth quirked up into a smile.

"I could…divorce her because of that…but this is a learning experience for her."

"Yeah, I think between the two of us, we'll tame her. If not, she's gonna be in trouble with you when the both of us tell you about the things she might do."

She got up and walked to the door.

"Sakura, I love you."

"I love you too, Ryo. Rest, you'll need it."

He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Halfway through Ryo's recovery, Karin had her twins, and (to the joy of Ino and Sakura) they were both girls. They looked exactly like their mother. Karin decided to call them Miru and Moru (which made her sister-wives start snickering at the unoriginality in her pick of names).

"This isn't fair. Now I have to wait to have more children until you two have another kid," the exhausted mother complained.

Ryo was in the middle of a treatment by Ino (she and Sakura were trading off each day) and looked up at his first wife. "Ino? Would you like to try to have another child? Or would you want Sakura to be first this time?"

Ino looked to Sakura and smiled at her friend. "I got seven months with him, Sakura. You deserve to be with him for more than a month. I can wait."

The pink-haired young woman nodded and hugged her best friend in return. "Thanks, Ino."

* * *

Ryo was allowed home the same day Karin and the twins were released. The first thing he did when he got home (not his apartment, but the very home that "he" had grown up in), he went to Itachi's memorial and added Sasuke's picture, along with the date of his death. He placed incense and flowers, since neither of his brothers had a grave. He knelt in front of it and bowed his head, his hands pressed together.

Karin came over immediately, only to be intercepted by Ino. "Karin, don't disturb Ryo."

"And why not? He's not doing anything!"

"Yes he is, he's mourning for his brothers' deaths."

"Why would he be mourning Nii-chan? He killed him himself!"

"Shh! He's talking with them!"

"This 'Ani-ue' is Itachi, right?"

"Yes."

"I thought he massacred his own clan, which is why Nii-chan killed him. So why is Ryo mourning both of them?"

"Obviously you're in the dark about the truth about what really happened the night of the Uchiha Genocide. I'll fill you in if you leave Ryo alone for a while."

Karin took the bait and left her husband alone to follow Ino.

* * *

Sakura got pregnant just as easily as the first time, but Ino had to get some special injections so she could conceive. Ryo prayed for his second wife to bear his first son so she could become the matriarch of the clan, since she was his favorite. Yet things seemed to still be rather rough between her and Karin, although the glasses-wearing young woman seemed to get along with Ino much better.

He warmed up to all his children very well, and the four girls loved him just as much, although you could see the personality with each differed with each mother they were from: Rin was rather cautious and serious, Mikoto was soft-hearted with a bit of a temper, and Miru and Moru were very narcissistic and jealous of their half-sisters. With how different they were, he wondered what his first boy would be like if he were Sakura's child. He just hoped the boy wouldn't have her pink hair. And if Ino was to have a boy, he didn't care if he had Ino's blonde hair. A blonde Uchiha would be welcomed. If both of them had girls, he already had a fourth wife in mind, should she still be unattached.

All he could do now was wait for the outcome.

* * *

THE END!

I can't believe it's over so soon! Well, I'll have to work on my next story and post it next week!

Did any of you think I would pick Karin for Ryo's wife too? *snickers*

Please review!


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